Committed to karate

As a child Jauzinah Borzu of Dahanu suffered from asthma. "Being a doctor I decided I should make her take up either swimming, karate or yoga, all of which entail breathing exercises which are very helpful for improving lung function. At this time I consulted her horoscope which predicted her creating records in a fighting sport,” writes her father Dr Danesh B. Irani from Dahanu. And so karate it was.

Beginning her training at age two-and-a-half, Jauzinah evinced such keen interest that less than four years later, in February 2001 she became "India’s youngest Shotokan girl black belt” through the Japan Karate Association of India (JKAI), states Irani. Jauzinah and her brother Jamshed, her senior by five years and also into karate, receive daily two-hour training from Sensei Suresh Mali, third degree black belt. Jamshed provides his sibling additional coaching prior to each tournament.

In January 2002 at the 19th National Karate Cham­pionship of the JKAI in Calcutta, Jauzinah struck gold twice in the under-nine individual and team kata. On February 2, at the state level meet organized by the Maharashtra Karate Association, she once again stood first — from competitors in all the styles of karate in the under-nine individual kata.

In 2000-2001, Jauzinah won two golds at state level tournaments organized by the JKAI in the Shotokan style in kumite and kata in the below-seven age group. At the XVIII JKAI national level tournament, the under-seven age group was cancelled but Jauzinah showed her skills by participating in the under-nine group and bagging gold in the kumite and silver in the kata. The tournament saw girls from 18 states take part, her father informs Parsiana.

Keen to become a karate instructor, Jauzinah’s immediate goal is to represent India and win at the 2002 Shoto World Cup in Japan. "Today thanks to the avoidance of allergies and her karate breathing exercises, Jauzinah has practically overcome her asth­ma,” writes Irani. Adds Porushesp H. Debara, honorary treasurer of the Federation of Zoroastrian Youth Asso­ciations of India, writing from Agra: "Jauzinah comes from a very illustrious family of Dahanu Road. Her parents Dr Danesh and Daisy Irani have been a guiding spirit behind the achievements of this girl. Her grand­father Boman Barjor Irani is a leading horticulturist of Dahanu Road... and is also involved in many social and charitable activities, including running of one school and two colleges.”

Outclassing 19 competitors in several rounds in the girls under-eight kata, Natalia Dalal secured silver at the Third World Gojukai Karate-Do Tournament and Tech­nical Seminar in Perth, Australia in November 2001. In a narrow finish, Natalia lost to her Japanese opponent by a whisker — a mere 0.1 margin. In the boys under-eight kumite, Zarvaan Merchant also won silver for India.

Natalia and Zarvaan were part of a 76-strong contingent, the second largest group at the tournament behind the South Africans. The squad was led by Kyoshi Vispy Kapadia, head of the All India Gojukai Karate-Do (see "Kapadia’s karate kingdom,” Parsiana, May 2001). Sensei Neville Nariman and karateka Faraz Merchant were part of a three-man team in the synchronized kata, an event they competed in for the first time, bagging the bronze medal. Senseis Gev Karai and Adil Pavri were among the referees invit­ed to officiate at the meet. Among the winners at the India-Malaysia Goodwill Tournament held in Kuala Lumpur thereafter were Natalia, Zarvaan, Faraz, Shahen Sidhwa and Tehemtan Fatakia, according to karate sources.