उद्भव (Udbhava): From 102 Kg to 2nd Dan Black Belt: How Karate Changed Sharad’s Life
- Shikher Gupta
- 4 hours ago
- 7 min read
About उद्भव
उद्भव (Udbhava) is a series of conversations with students at Kombat Hall. Stories of people who chose to keep showing up and did not quit.
Through honest conversations, we explore उद्भव (Udbhava) or The emergence of one's truest self through consistent practice.
In this blog, we cover the story of Sharad who is from the first batch of Kombat Hall Karate students. His 9 years of tough situations, stress and calm. Let's be a part of his journey.
Shikher: Oss. Please introduce yourself for the readers.
Sharad: Hi, I am Sharad Gupta. I am the Regional Head at Kingspan Jindal. I have been doing martial arts for the past 9 years with Sensei Shikher, and I have achieved my 2nd Dan Black Belt as well this month.
Shikher: With a lot of pressure and a lot of touring, how do you manage the pressure and stress of the sales job?
Sharad: I have to always be on my toes. My job is to deal with farmers and to set up cold storage industries, which is totally a time-bound job with a lot of travel. I have to ensure that they get their supplies and store their material on time. It's tough to manage. My team and I have to keep ourselves very calm and be in a position where we can tackle all the issues.
Shikher: I have seen your customers shout at you. Do you also get angry a lot of times?
Sharad: That's where I think martial arts has helped me a lot. Earlier, whenever the customer got upset, I used to shout at my juniors and my team. But over the last 7 to 8 years, the training has made me calm—helping me control my anger, tackle situations easily and very politely, and just handle things as they are.
Shikher: What was your reason to start training?
Sharad: Starting was thanks to you (my brother), who is also my Sensei. You pushed me a lot to come and train for fitness. Once I started, I got interested as it gave me a lot of flexibility and confidence.
Shikher: Did you have any goal in mind?
Sharad: I was overweight. Since my job is very demanding, I became very lethargic in the process. Thanks to Karate training, it got me into fitness, and I started liking the training eventually.
Shikher: Tell us about the early days of training. We used to do classes in the park, and the entire society could hear your shouts.
Sharad: It was 2016–2017. We had tough partners over here—Ravijit and Poonam, and then Rakesh joined. Every morning at 6:00 AM, we were shouting in the society and trying to wake everyone with our "Oohs and aahs!"
Both Ravijit and Poonam were very competitive; no one ever backed down, and all of us got bruises from kicks and punches every day :)
We did strength training and Karate, and we all felt really fresh in the morning. Slowly but surely, we were all loving it.
Shikher: It took you 9 years to reach Black Belt? How was your journey?
Sharad: Awesome. The best thing I have done in life is to be a martial artist and find time to train despite my job, which requires me to travel a lot. The motivation I get from my Sensei and colleagues really helped me. Further, once my daughter started training, she motivated me a lot to join her and do the training.
Shikher: First you motivated her, then she motivated you 🙂
Sharad: Yes. First, I motivated her to join, and then she started motivating me because I used to bunk classes a lot. She used to relish the punishment that I got; it was fun. Having a father-daughter relationship while practicing combat sports together is amazing.
Shikher: You have seen so many people come and leave. Tell us the value of being consistent.
Sharad: To start anything is relatively easy. To quit is probably even easier. However, to continue, you need a lot of motivation and a lot of courage from every side.
I was around 102 kg, and then reached around 80 kg. I needed a lot of motivation to get into the fit zone. Now I can enjoy everything, go out everywhere, walk, do anything.
Earlier, my body was very lethargic. I used to feel very suffocated during simple walks. But right now, I can work out and play anything for 2 to 3 hours non-stop. All this is possible because of staying consistent in martial arts.
Shikher: Tell us about some memorable experiences.
Sharad: My first camp was in Jim Corbett. I was very nervous as I was the only person from our Dojo. Sensei said, “You have to be on your toes, facing tough opponents,” and I was just trying to escape from Sensei.
I saw a French girl in the camp who was a beginner and started sparring with her to save myself.
However, how can anyone escape from their Sensei? 😡
You caught me, and then I was thrown to the monsters to receive the worst kicks, punches, and conditioning—it was really the hell of that time!
Shikher Sensei is ruthless 😀.
Shikher: Tell us about your 45-day Black Belt training camp.
Sharad: That was Shikher Sensei's first group of Black Belts. We were 8 ninjas who went through those tough 45 days.
Morning exercise, then a 5 km run, then Kata, then sparring, and every Saturday a review by Sensei Yashpal.
We also did Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu with an external coach to ensure we covered all aspects of self-defense. I injured my leg during Jiu-Jitsu but continued running, fighting, Kumite, and everything. That was a tough and memorable experience over 45 days.
It seemed like we were going through army training and preparing for a war.
It was a wonderful experience, and a great feeling to get my Black Belt in the 2022 Aravalli Camp.
Shikher: Tell us about other students in your martial arts journey who inspired you.
Sharad: There are two kids who helped me stay connected even at the time of COVID. One is my daughter, and the other my nephew—Omisha and Krisheen. These two kids motivated me a lot. Even during the curfew days, we used to do early morning exercises—the four of us (including Shikher Sensei) used to exercise together, then play cricket, enjoying our lives to the fullest.
Shikher: And your fierce rivalry with Poonam?
Sharad: Poonam Madam is very tough, very, very tough. What to say- She can hit you anywhere at any time. You cannot match the fight with Poonam Ma'am.
Shikher: Tell us about your misadventure with COVID.
Sharad: I was overweight. However, by the second wave of COVID, I had lost a lot of weight, which really helped me to fight the disease.
The virus strain that I had was severe, with a lot of breathlessness and related issues. At times, it felt like I would not make it out alive.
However, my fitness helped me fight the virus. Shikher Sensei and I used to work out early in the morning on our terrace, and that really helped us fight.
It is necessary for every person to stay fit and commit to exercising for at least one hour of their day.
Shikher: You went through a lot of bad times—COVID, then losing parents. How did you continue training? Many people quit when life gets tough.
Sharad: I always remind myself how training helps me face life. I’m 45 now and of course getting older. I know if I stop training, all those things—illnesses, laziness, obesity—will return to my body, and I will have to suffer even more.
I have to stay fit for my family, for my daughter, and for myself too. I have to always look good 😂.
Shikher: Talking about looking good, you are a big Govinda fan. Why do you torture everyone with Govinda songs in the dojo?
Sharad: Haha, Govinda songs give me energy! I love dancing. It gives me energy to work out.
Shikher: Give us an example of a situation where you held your emotions back.
Sharad: During the first Black Belt camp, our BJJ Sensei was a young fighter. To prove he was better, he twisted my toes almost to the point of fracturing them.
A few years prior, I surely would have hit back. However, I calmed myself, controlled my anger, and said, "It's okay, he’s the instructor right now."
Shikher: And outside the dojo?
Sharad: Once in Delhi, a motorcyclist came and hit me from behind, and started shouting. He said, "Hatt ja side warna chadha dunga, maar dunga….." I could have broken him into two pieces. However, I folded my hands and said, "Please go."
Shikher: What is your message for people who are thinking about it, but not starting training?
Sharad: Don't think, just come and start the training. It will help you, and it will motivate you. You will see the change in your life and your routine. It will help you a lot in the daily fight, and give you a lot of calmness.
Shikher: Why Martial Arts?
Sharad: For the first 15 days, you will enjoy it a lot. After the first 15 days, if you choose to continue, then martial arts will change your life, change your thinking, and change your personality.
Shikher: People say it's violence. Why choose violence?
Sharad: It's not violence. Karate, Boxing, Martial Arts—none of it is violence, it's peace and love. A Martial Artist will never start a fight, but they will definitely close the chapter if really needed. That is for sure- we always avoid the fight.
Shikher: Thank you, Sharad. Any message for all the readers?
Sharad: Train hard and keep eating sweets—Rabri and Rasmalai for sure!
Rabri and Rasmalai are my biggest friends and enemies. 😀
Shikher: Thank you. Oss.
Sharad: Oss.
Editor's Note:
This interview has been lightly edited for clarity and readability. Filler words, repetitions, and obvious transcription errors have been removed, but every answer faithfully reflects the student's own words and experiences.
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