Children trained by auto driver for free win medals at karate meet
After just 9 months of coaching, two of his students have bagged laurels at national karate event.
Vinod Namdev Kadam (36) is an auto driver from Navghar, Bhayander (E), who is also a third dan black belt karate champ. When he’s not ferrying people in his rickshaw, Kadam trains municipal school kids the martial art for free.
Two of his students, Yash Sachin Jadhav (9) and Shivdin Yadav (13), have bagged silver medals at the recently held national karate event, National Tang Soo Do Championship, in Kurukshetra, Haryana. The two received training from him for 9 months. Kadam has 30 students in all.
Kadam, whose ancestral village is Sonwadi, Satara, finished his schooling from a Worli municipal school and lived with his uncle. After his marriage, Kadam shifted to Bhayander (East) and drove an auto on rent to earn his keep. “Since my childhood, I was passionate about karate; I was unable to pursue the sport due to poverty. I still managed to learn the sport somehow and earned the third dan black belt title,” Kadam said
“I am on a mission to train students, particularly those studying in municipal schools, as I too studied in a municipal school and know the financial constraints,” said Kadam. “I first approached Prabhat Patil, a corporator with the Mira Bhayander Municipal Corporation (MBMC), who we affectionately call ‘tai’ (sister) and laid out my plans to teach karate to the students of the Navghar municipal school.”
During a meeting in January with the then MBMC Commissioner, Suresh Kakani, his plan was accepted on the condition that the students not be charged to which Kadam agreed. “In February 2014, I was given orders to train students in karate in the Navghar Municipal School on a trial basis,” said Kadam.
“I saw that Kadam was gentle with the kids, so I recommended him to Kakani, who accepted my recommendation on a trial basis,” said Patil. “We are planning to make him a permanent teacher at our school after taking up the issue in the next meeting. The school rules might have to be changed.”
Kadam along with his two star students were felicitated by Narendra Mehta, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator from Bhayander on Wednesday.
Vinod Namdev Kadam (36) is an auto driver from Navghar, Bhayander (E), who is also a third dan black belt karate champ. When he’s not ferrying people in his rickshaw, Kadam trains municipal school kids the martial art for free.
Two of his students, Yash Sachin Jadhav (9) and Shivdin Yadav (13), have bagged silver medals at the recently held national karate event, National Tang Soo Do Championship, in Kurukshetra, Haryana. The two received training from him for 9 months. Kadam has 30 students in all.
More than 16 teams from Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Delhi and Punjab besides Haryana participated in the three-day event. The karate champ also won a gold medal in the same event in the Over-35 age category.
Kadam, whose ancestral village is Sonwadi, Satara, finished his schooling from a Worli municipal school and lived with his uncle. After his marriage, Kadam shifted to Bhayander (East) and drove an auto on rent to earn his keep. “Since my childhood, I was passionate about karate; I was unable to pursue the sport due to poverty. I still managed to learn the sport somehow and earned the third dan black belt title,” Kadam said
“I am on a mission to train students, particularly those studying in municipal schools, as I too studied in a municipal school and know the financial constraints,” said Kadam. “I first approached Prabhat Patil, a corporator with the Mira Bhayander Municipal Corporation (MBMC), who we affectionately call ‘tai’ (sister) and laid out my plans to teach karate to the students of the Navghar municipal school.”
During a meeting in January with the then MBMC Commissioner, Suresh Kakani, his plan was accepted on the condition that the students not be charged to which Kadam agreed. “In February 2014, I was given orders to train students in karate in the Navghar Municipal School on a trial basis,” said Kadam.
“I saw that Kadam was gentle with the kids, so I recommended him to Kakani, who accepted my recommendation on a trial basis,” said Patil. “We are planning to make him a permanent teacher at our school after taking up the issue in the next meeting. The school rules might have to be changed.”
Kadam along with his two star students were felicitated by Narendra Mehta, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator from Bhayander on Wednesday.
