Traditional Japanese full contact karate martial arts for self defense and sport karate trainings for tournaments.

Find out more about Sudharsan

• Tell us more about your subject. How did you develop an interest in this field?

  It was sometime around my fifth grade that I was introduced to the world of martial arts by classic films like 'The Drunken Master', 'Snake in Eagle's shadow' and many more. I would enact the movements at the time without knowledge of its applications. Later on, my love for Japan and the Japanese way grew and I became what you'd call an 'Otaku'. This led to my choice of learning Japanese Martial Arts. And the most accessible one at the time was Karate.

• What or who is the motivation behind you choosing to teach & why?

  It's my Sensei. He is 67 yrs old now. One particular day, when I was still a Yellow Belt, my sensei called me over and asked me to take the class for the weekend as he had some other work to do. I was hesitant, but he asked me to do it. That was my first class, 6 years ago. Later on, he told me that I had a spark for teaching and that I should become a teacher.

• How does your work help society?

  The society is changing. We don't know who lives next door in today's apartment life. The world we live in today, is not the safe place it once was. Women, children and even men need to learn how to defend and protect those close to them. I believe that Karate helps them in this objective. I have been teaching with that one sole aim in mind.

• If you had to think of a role model for your work, who do you think of & why?

  I'd say I have 2 role models. The first would be my Sensei, who even at this age is so energetic and teaches students with vigor. I'd like to become as good as him someday. The second is Musashi no Musashi or Miyamoto Musashi, the famed martial artist of lore in Japan. I have read his works and studied his life. To me, he is the synonym of a perfect martial artist.

• Tell us about your hobbies outside teaching.

  I am a poet who loves nature and gardening. When I'm not teaching, I either write poems or tend to my garden. I can sometimes be seen working on drawing skills or working with linux machines as i have a fondness for cyber security.

• Do you have an anecdote to tell us about your student or professional life?

  A Student once asked his Master, "You teach me fighting, but you talk about peace. How do you reconcile the two?". To which the Master replied, "It is better to be a Warrior in a Garden , than to be a Gardner in War".