July 15, 2021
That last Sunday in August, I watched my first gradings. I had planned to watch the white belt ones, since that was my level and what my first test, if it ever happened, would be. My friend A was in that group, but the brown belt who had encouraged me about camp, when I first signed up, asked me cheer him on as he was nervous. Their grading was in the hall on the 4th level. There were about fifteen of them and included one of my roommates. In a corner of the room three or four yellow and green belts were also doing a test. The brown belts were excellent—sharp and quick. The combinations they were tested on seemed complex, and the grading ended with free sparing. Somebody smacked another person on the nose and got severely reprimanded for loss of control. It was beyond me and I didn’t think I’d ever get to this level.
When we trooped down for a late breakfast, A had emerged from his test looking pleased as Sensei had skipped two grades and graded him to yellow. The black belt aspirants had finished a written theory exam. They were high strung while the rest of us were relaxed and ready for end of camp. In a bit we all went up to the 4th level to watch the black belt gradings. The test was serious, long, and tough. Basics, combinations with movement, kata, bunkai, sparring, hojo undo. It ended with the usual 100 push-ups, crunches and squats. I was in awe of those attempting it. At the end while announcing the results Sensei Mistry said the words that I would hear again and again at every shodan grading that I ever attended. ‘Welcome to the beginning of your journey into karate. Now the real learning begins.’
Black was so far away that I could not comprehend what that meant. Not everyone passed their tests and it was my first experience of feeling disappointed hopes. I ran downstairs to help serve our last lunch. One the first day at camp my brown belt friend had dragged me behind the food counters to help serve the meals. Sensei H also regularly assigned me tasks, and both these helped me feel part of the community in which I was a stranger.
Sensei Mistry looked solemn when he entered the cafeteria, but he smiled when he saw me. He pulled me out of the serving line and said, ‘I’ve been busy with the out of towners, but I’ve watched you struggling with the last move in Geki Si Dai Ichi. Come do it with me.’
Geki Si Dai is the beginner’s kata and after almost a month of being the dojo I was still lost in the last pattern. Right there in the cafeteria he made me repeat the move till I began to understand it. I rode back in the bus a different person than the one who had arrived four days ago. I had learned my first kata and more, I had experienced a deeply embossed spiritual moment, and bonded with new friends so different from people I normally hung out with. I vowed to go to as many camps as I could in the future.
Much changed in the second month of karate for me. My teachers had seen my efforts and realized I was not going to quit. Almost all in the dojo began supporting my learning. I too had new respect for myself, particularly in terms of what my body could do and began taking care of if better. Also, perhaps because of the dream that led me to the dojo I wondered how the effects of karate would manifest in my life. Since 2002 I had been working with a team of six, designing and facilitating workshops for educational institutions. Our work was to create experiences that allowed the processing of power dynamics, stereotypes and prejudice in society. Since the Gujerat genocide there were instances of severe discrimination on basis of religious identity and our group had formed to try to work on these issues. We normally began with a structured exercise then followed whatever processes emerged. In each group the end point reached was different. My colleagues told me that my ability to respond to small changes in people and the group and use them to facilitate change was becoming keener. I don’t really know if this was an effect of the karate or of the months of work we had already done. I did notice that my reactivity and temper were easier to control now as karate shifted my inner energies. All personal growth work I had begun with therapy and meditation ripened quickly during this phase. I regret giving meditation after a few months of karate as I had no time to do both, and karate seemed to be filling up all my empty spaces.
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