Senior accolade

"I’ve had this passion for karate for years. I knew getting a 7th degree black belt would be very tough but I’ve been physically fit,” says 60-year-old Percy Bahmani. Training diligently in Osaka, Japan for two weeks after the initial preparation here, Bahmani’s hard work was rewarded when the 7th degree black belt was awarded to him. "I have trained earlier under Sensei Hoshi Batliwala who has been a great teacher. It is because of him (and his strong foundation) that I could go through this successfully.” "Bahmani was my student for 20 years,” adds Batliwala, himself a 7th degree black belt who runs classes at Worli and has been teaching karate since 1987.

Percy Bahmani (left) with teacher in Osaka and 7th degree certificate

Bahmani lives through the week in Dahanu where he has a chikoo farm, coming to Bombay on weekends. He has also conducted karate classes in Dahanu. With his new achievement, Bahmani says he is now empowered by the Nihonden Gojury Karate-Do to grant affiliation to applicants to start classes. "My family members have all stood by me and supported my endeavors,” he adds.