MeetIng our tKFI FaMIly In the IndIa

IntroductIon

India is set apart from the rest of Asia by the Himalayas, the highest, and still evolving mountain chainon earth. The subcontinent as it is rightly called, touches the Bay of Bengal to the east, the Arabian seato the west, and the India Ocean to the south. One-third the area of the United States, the Republic ofIndia occupies most of the subcontinent of India in southern Asia. It borders on China in the northeast.Other neighbors are Pakistan on the west, Nepal and Bhutan on the north, and Burma and Bangladeshon the east.

India holds virtually every kind of landscape imaginable. It reminds me of Brasil and Hawaii with coconutand banana groves, sugar cane and pineapple fields, mango and ricefields. From north to south India extends a good 2000 miles.

The Indian cuisine boasts of an immense variety not restricted to onlycurry. An authentic Indian curry is an intricate combination of a stir-friedMasala - a mixture of onion, garlic, ginger, and tomatoes; various spicesand seasonings with which poultry, vegetables or fish is prepared to pro-duce a stew-type dish. Note: the word Masala also means spice.

Side dishes and condiments like chutneys, curries, daals and Indian pickles contribute to and add tothe overall flavor and texture of a meal and provide balance needed.

Often times the meals are served on a piece of banana leaf which you sprinkle a bit of water on the bot-tom so it sticks to the table and won’t curl while eating.

18 languages are officially recognized in India of which Sanskrit and Tamil share a long history of morethan 5,000 and 3,000 years respectively. Our hosts spoke Tamil and fortunately for us spoke English aswell.

Other facts of interest:capital: New DelhiPopulation (2010 est.): 1,173,108,018Monetary unit: Rupee (Approximately 40 rupees to a U.S. dollar during our stay)religions: Hindu 81%, Islam 13%, Christian 2%, Sikh 2% (2001)national holiday: Republic Day, January 26

Flag of India

our trIP

Monday, 17 JanuaryAfter a 4 1/2 hour road trip to McMinnville by way of the GPS system that took me on the scenic route(Tony does it in 3 1/2 hours), I finally arrived at the Mendonca’s lovely home, and welcomed by Tony,Brandi, and little Logan. I’m also greeted by Ame and Kaze, their two huge Akita dogs. After eating adelicious Thai dinner, we retired for the evening, in anticipation for our long journey ahead.

Tuesday, 18 JanuaryMorning came very quickly and off to Portland International airport we headed. The traffic was fairlyheavy. The rain kept driver’s at a slower pace and we reached PDX in 45 minutes. Tony and I com-mented about the traffic with no idea what was in store for us once we reached our final destination.

Once we arrived at PDX, Tony parks his SUV, and we catch the tram that takes us to the main terminalbuilding. Next stop, Horizon Air where we have about two-hours before flying to Vancouver, Canada.

Our flight leaves on time at about 10 AM and after an hour and 7 minute flight, land safely in beautifulBritish Columbia.

We have about two hours to kill before boarding Cathay Air at 1:20 PM and prepare for a 12 hour and25 minutes flight to Hong Kong. The flight is comfortable, however the pilot informs us that there is a125 mile head wind that will increase our air time. Tony estimates over 2 hours more. Sigh.

19 JanuaryWe arrive in Hong Kong at 6:45 PM and have to process through Customs and inspections once again.After a four-hour layover, we finally board at 10:35 PM and head towards Cheenai, India, a five hour, 40minutes flight.

20 JanuaryWe Arrive at Madras, India at 1:45 AM, process through Customs and fetch our luggage. Once we exit

the terminal building, we are greeted by Shihan Ragunathan accom-panied by his students, Suresh Selvam (our translator), Gowtham(his son), B.R. Kumar, Dhamodharsamy, and P. Prakasam. Theypresent us with the traditional lei and flower bouquet and are ashappy to see us as we are them. After introductions and photos weboard a taxi and head for the GMT Lodge to freshen up. Tony and Iimmediately become aware of their bathroom and notice that thewestern toilet is non-existent. Rather, they have two shoe-shapedplatforms and a hole in the middle (and no toilet paper to boot). OK,first cultural awakening, but no problem. We’ll have to train our bodyaccordingly.

We then head to Central Railway Station. We have a couple hours to killso we drink coffee, enjoy our newly met friends and people watch. Manypassengers are sleeping on the concrete floor. The faded blue-coloredtrain is long with many cars. The rear cars are packed with passengerslike sardines as tickets are often not checked for, and so many try theirluck in hoping a free ride. The middle cars seem to be less crowded butstill looks uncomfortable. We have first class which have seats that canbe converted to beds. The government operated train is rode hard andnever put away so the wear and tear are obvious. The toilets are the

a kings welcome that eased the

travel weariness away.

First class sleeper is the only

way to enjoy a long train ride.

same type we saw earlier and the waste goes right between thetracks. Air drying is a bonus. “Porters” periodically make their waythrough the cars to sell coffee, other drinks, fruits and food. We arecautious as to what we purchase, but the food we do eat is very de-licious. The 7 hour ride, with eight stops, to Tirupur takes us throughtowns and rural farm areas that looks a bit like Hawaii and Brasilmolded into one. There are many coconut groves, mango trees,sugar cane and rice fields. The temperature was a nice 80 º.

We finally arrive in Tirupur whereRagunathan Shihan has arranged

a comfortable room for us, with western toilets and air conditioning(yay), at the Hotel Venu Residency.

After a brief rest, Tony and I are invited to Ragunathan’s modest housewhere we meet his family; his wife KangaDevi, his sister Mehala, andhis daughter DiVya. We enjoy good conversation as we sip on tea andeat biscuits, fruits and boiling green peas.

It is getting late so we return to our hotel to shower and bed down for the evening. We quickly find outthat hot water will not be turned on until 5 AM. Nevertheless, the cold shower was refreshing and muchneeded. We fall asleep; well at least Tony does as he commences to serenade me with his deep snores.I record one of his masterpieces and finally drift away; at least for awhile until the mosquitos begin towhine near my face. Morning comes too quickly as we both begin to stir. I turn on the TV and its only4:00 AM.

21 JanuaryRagunathan Shihan picks us up early in the morning and we head out first to Perundurai where we stopat the Chennis Hotel for breakfast. (Hotel is also what they call restaurants)

We continue our journey to Bawani, 54 kilometer from Tirupur, then toJumbai another 2 Kilometers away. We go through a small village on asingle lane bumpy road and arrive amidst a small shrine named Komu-niyappan where Ragunathan Shihan began his karate training. A nicebillboard displaying our Kobudo clinic hangs behind our official table. Weare adorned with long flower maalai and given roses.

We remove our shoes, accompany the instructors into the shrine wherethey pray and place a bit of ash on their forehead and side of their neck.I ask Suresh what the ash is from and he says it is from burnt cow ma-nure and leaves. I tried to encourage Tony Shihan to rub some on his

forehead but he quickly tells me he will pass. I guess I was not forceful enough nor did I set a good ex-ample for him.

Kobudo training was only for about a dozen instructors and after a few hours going over Kobudo kihonand Shushi No Kon Sho we took some time for discussions and photos. The Swami (a Hindu honorifictitle which means, "He who knows and is master of himself") comes over to talk to us and tells us aboutthe rare tree that stands over the training area that many foreigners are examining.

We all change and go to the Chennis Hotel for lunch and then return to the Residency Hotel.

Many coconut groves can be seen

throughout the countryside.

our comfortable room at the hotel

Venu residency.

a great way to start the day with

the fragrant smell of a honey

suckle maalai.

After a brief rest, we go to Ragunathan’s house, climb to the roof top and teach a few instructors Anankata until 9 PM.

After washing up, we enjoy a tasty Chappati dinner, which includes rice,godomay powder with potato and chili paste into a stew like mixture.The ladies do not eat with us but rather stand around waiting to serveus. Tony and I chuckle as we mutter how far this practice would fly withthe women back home. To top that off, men are not allowed in thekitchen.

It is late when we try to sleep. We have another restless night and at 4AM are rudely awakened by our confused internal clock. We go in andout of brief sleep until it is time to rise and shower. Ah, but there is hot

water to greet us so we are very happy.

January 22We arrive in suits at Muthunnachettiyar Hall where we are greetedby instructors, students and parents. Opening ceremonies includedpresentation of a maalai, which is the long flower lei with sweetsmelling honey suckle flowers, and a crown made with the sameflower representing honor. Parent, teachers and God are surely tobe given this honor. After introductions and speeches, over a hun-dred students enjoyed a full morning of karate line drills and kihons.

Tony and I notice that every timewe made suggestions on a tech-nique or showed studentsbunkai, they would shake their heads as if saying no to us. Of coursewe conclude that it must be a cultural thing, but nevertheless, wecommented on it and everyone tried to be more positive in their re-sponse with an up and down nod of their head followed by a clear“Oss”, rather than “Oshu”. We all shared many laughs.

We break for lunch and Tony and I are invited to Ragunathan’s housewhere we eat rice and Sumbar (sauces), soup (sweet Jamun mixture of rice powder, barley powder)and fruits.

After a hearty meal we return to the venue and continue our clinic until 5:00 PM.

After saying our goodbyes for the day, Tony and I return to our hotel, enjoychicken and chips for dinner and take another cold shower. We asked for moretoilet paper, and since there were none to be found, housekeeping cut a roll ofpaper towels in half and handed it to us. We got our laughs, watched somefutbol and tried to get a good night’s rest.

January 23Breakfast at the hotel included toast, bread omelette, coffee, banana, and two bottled water. The totalprice, around 50¢. What a deal. We tip the waiter about $5.00 and they are pleasantly surprised.

Ragunathan and Suresh picks us up at 10:30 AM as they were kind to wash our gis. We return to the

delicious food prepared by ragu-

nathan’s wife and sister.

a very warm reception that is received

with appreciation and humility.

dedicated students ready to learn.

a clever way to provide us

with tp.

dojo to teach only the black belts until 3:30 PM. We cover all the Pinan Katas and Bassai Dai.We return to our hotel, take a quick shower, have a light lunch and return to the hall for the evening cer-emonies.

A dance troupe led by Mrs. Menaga, included Kirija, Darni, and Barath. They opened the ceremonieswith the Baradam, a traditional religious dance of welcome. After pre-senting over 114 certificates, we were presented nice trophies and aglass cased photo for us to return to the honbu dojo. The next hour filledthe auditorium with chatter, laughter, clicking of photos and autographsigning. Parents were very pleased with our teachings and philosophyand showed their appreciation by staying with us until we left.

We were all very tired and decided to return to our hotel. Chicken andchips again and another cold shower before packing our bags in prepa-ration for a long trip to tour temples, a church and a grand palace.

January 24After a hot shower, we make certain to stuff the remaining roll of tp in our bag.Ragunathan and some of his instructors were kind to take our luggage to thevan. All eight of us boarded the comfortable vehicle with TV monitor and com-fortable seats driven by Raj, a very experienced driver (Thank God for that),and head for our next destination.

The ride to Tiruchendur, the subdivision of the Thoothukudi District, and thehome of the famous Murugan temple, takes 7 hours. We stay at the Mani Iyerhotel for the evening.

January 25The next morning we toured the Murugan, a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Muruga.

After our brief temple tour, we drive a few miles and stop for a roadsidepotty break amongst the kiawi trees. Two locals are diving in the nearbyriver and we ask them what they are doing. One of the men makes hisway to shore and shows us the sack of shrimp that he has caught withhis bare hands, and without a net. He points out the way to a Catholicchurch and lighthouse nearby.

We take a short detour from our planned trip and head for Manapadu,a historically and religiously important village. The St. Xavier Church,located next to the beach, has a history dating back to 15th century,

where St. Francis Xavier from Spain, had visited there and even stayedthere in a cave near the sea.

Saint Francis Xavier also preached in this cave. According to localChurch history the Jesuit missioner lived between 1542 and 1544 in agrotto on the rocky side of a hill in Manapadu. He was preaching to theParava people, a fishing community which had converted to Christianityin 1532. The Saint realized that the Parava did not know much abouttheir new religion, because they had no one to teach them. Actually they

the Murugan temple with detailed

carvings.

St. Xavier church.

a lovely performance of wel-come.

a comfortable van keeps

everyone happy.

had converted to seek protection by Tony Shihan’s ancesters againstArab pearl traders. The cave draws thousands of Catholics and Hindusevery year. It has become a sort of unofficial pilgrimage destination.Pounding waves sometimes flood the cave. The cave is transformedinto a chapel, with a white baptismal tub made of stone and a smallstatue of the saint standing on an altar. Inside the cave is a small well,and an opening in the ceiling allows to draw water using a bucket andrope without entering the cave. Located only 26’ from the sea, the well

contains sweet water. Until a few years ago, the local priests offered Mass in the cave. Since then, achapel was built above the cave and Masses are now held there. A granite slab at the cave entrancehas an inscription explaining the history of the cave.

Next destination, Kanyakumari city. Along the way, there are many Siemens’ wind generators. A beautifulsunset fills the horizon skies with bright red, orange and yellow strokes; a true masterpiece that is en-joyed by all.

Kanyakumari is a town in the state of Tamilnadu in India. It is also sometimes referred to as CapeComorin. Located at the southernmost tip of the Indian Peninsula, it is the geographical end of the Indianmainland. We check in at Tourist Home hotel where we will stay for the night.

After dinner, we all head for the Kanyakumari Temple, situated on the sea-shore, the very confluenceof the three water-bodies - the Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal and the In-dian Ocean. The Thiruvalluvar Statue emerges from anisland, and Suresh tells us that it is 133 feet high. Thetall stone sculpture is of the Tamil poet and saint Tiru-valluvar, author of the Thirukkural, which has 133 chap-ters. According to Suresh, those visiting the inside ofthe base of the statue was unscathed when the 2004Indian Ocean Tsunami hit the coast with waves roaringabove the monument.

The refreshing sea air revitalizes all of us and we practice Annanko until 10 pm.

January 26Morning comes early as we get up around 5:45 to view sunrise at Kanyakumari. Hundreds of peoplegather for the “pilgrimage” for this occasion. Reminds me of viewing sunrise at Mount Haleakala in Maui.Many schools children are also present and Tony and I take photos with them. The sunrise doesn’t dis-

appoint anyone, even with the light fog and theirspirits are filled with hope and joy.

We all have a light breakfast then gather our be-longings and head for Padmanabhapuram town,in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, where we visitthe palace of king Marthanda Varma.

The kings of the Travancore dynasty were invariably pious god fearingand innocent, but Marthanda Varma was different. He could get into any lion’s den and offer a challenge.Well versed in martial arts he rose to the status of Jack of all Games. In administration tactics and strate-gies it is said that he could match Alexander the Great. This king stands as a towering personality andhis heroic deeds crown the pages of Kerala history.

tiruvalluvar Statue at night.

Sunrise at tiruvalluvar.

tiruvalluvar Statue.

St. Xavier cave.

School children anxiously waiting

for the blessings of sunrise.

The palace has many chambers, ammunition storage areas, guests halls, bedrooms, dining areas to feed one thousand people daily and beautiful gardens. The toilets hasn’t changed from those they had inthe palace, and even the king’s mother had her own dining area.

Raj drives us to the holy city of Madurai, where Suresh Sensei alsoteaches, to tour the famous Meenakshi Amman temple. This historicHindu temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva - who is known here as Sun-dareswarar or Beautiful Lord - and his consort, Parvati who is knownas Meenakshi. The temple forms the heart and lifeline of the 2500 yearold city of Madurai. The complex houses 14 magnificent towers includ-ing the 4 outer towers which are the land-

marks of Madurai. The east tower (nine storeys) is 161' 3". This Gopura has1011 sudhai figures elaborately sculptured and painted. The south tower (ninestoreys) is 170' 6" and has 1511 sudhai figures. The west tower (nine storeys)is 163' 3", and has 1124 sudhai figures. The north tower (nine storeys) is 160'6" and has lesser figures of sudhai than the other outer towers. The templeis a significant symbol for the Tamil people, and has been mentioned sinceantiquity in Tamil literature, though the present structure is believed to havebeen built in 1600.

We all check in our footwear and respectfully walk towards the entrance barefooted. A security checkpoint quickly addresses Shihan Tony’s shorts, a no no when enteringthe sacred temple. Tony tells us that he’ll just wait outside but ShihanRagunathan and Sensei Suresh quickly finds a solution and buys him asari. Tony wraps it around his waist over his shorts and is waved throughsecurity.

The temple is filled with people, even a few foreigners besides Tony andI. Incense scents the air and many Hindus pause to pray and place aspot of ash on their foreheads and side of their neck. The many hallsare adjourned with hundreds of lamps, figures with a lion’s body or ele-

phant head. There are 28 pillars of the Mandapam which exhibit some excellent sculptures of figuresfrom Hindu mythology. Surprisingly, there is an elephant that will bless you by placing his trunk on topof your head; for a small rupee donation. Tony and I couldn’t resist and theheavy trunk on our head was a sight to see. I, of course, wasn’t content withjust a trunk blessing, so I had Suresh ask the trainer if I could get on top of themassive animal. A few more rupees and I was hanging on to the rope, higher

than I imagined, as the trainer had the elephant takeme for a brief ride. I tapped the elephant’s head withmy hand and quickly found out that the hair were likepins and not soft as I anticipated. Anyway what a funexperience it was.

After a long day of learning fascinating history andcultural information, we have a long uneventful rideback to Tirupur and the Hotel Venu Regency.

January 27Morning comes sooner than we wish but nevertheless we are all packed and prepare for our long journey

What a great ride.

tony Shihan models his sari.

Meenakshi temple.

dutch commander de lannoy sur-

renders to Marthanda Varma at the

Battle of colachel.

a blessing that will last for

many years.

home. Ragunathan Shihan and his trusted instructors all board the train to make sure our trip to Cheenaiairport is a safe one. Some are sleepy and have no problem escaping to la la land. To my amusement,I watch Tony Shihan bend forward, fall asleep and snore.

After several stops, we finally arrive at Cheenai Central Station and walkto the same hotel we had visited upon our arrival. Our room has 6 bedsand much larger and cleaner. We freshen up and decide to do some lastminute shopping. Since it is Republic Day, commemorating the date onwhich the Constitution of India became the governing document of Indiaon 26 January 1950, many of the surrounding shops are closed. Ragu-nathan Shihan arranges for a couple of scooter taxis to take us furtheraround the loop where stores are open. Despite many close calls withthe horrendous amount of traffic, we all make it safely and shop to ourheart’s content.

After returning to the hotel, there is still a couple hours to kill, so Tonyteaches a few instructors Shiho Kosokun, while Ragunathan and Sureshlearns Unshu from me. We leave the door open and quickly notice that afew hotel employees are watching our practice in awe. They think we arepreparing for a movie.

Suresh sensei arranges for a taxi to take us to the airport. We all crowd inand soon we are at the Madras airport. Farewells are always hard, but weleave knowing that we have made some special friends who are now partof our TKFI family.

Our sincere appreciation to Ragunathan Shihan for all the special touches he provided for Tony Shihanand I. For the grand reception, VIP treatment, nearly 40 billboards (they call it flexboards) advertisingour international clinic, our lodging and meals, well organized training sessions, hospitality, gifts, toursand good conversations, we are especially grateful.

Our 5 hour plus flight to Hong Kong leaves at 3 AM and arrives around 11 AM. Our next leg via CathayAir, leaves at 1 PM and arrives in Los Angeles at 9:35 AM, Pacific time. We then board Horizon Air at1:25 PM and arrive safely at the Portland International airport 2 1/2 hours later. Once at the Mendonca’shome, I decide to drive home that evening. After 4 hours of reflecting on our journey, I am finally home.

I thank God for our safe journey and strength to accomplish our work with ease and good health.

Jet lag is still tugging at me, and it’s already Friday. I have asked a few students to accompany me forour next trip to India. Perhaps you would honor us with your participation. Until then, train diligently andbe thankful for all that you are so blessed with.

Shihan tony demonstrates the

tKFI sleeping position while rid-

ing on the train.

hundreds of taxi like this one,

weave in and out of traffic with

blasting horns.

taking a quick dip in the Bay of

Bengal.Feeling like King Kamehameha. Shrine located where ragunathan

Shihan first began his training.

Beautiful architecture at the

palace.ragunathan Shihan’s beautiful

and kind family.Suresh and Kumar sensei teasing

the freshly caught shrimp.

crowds gather to watch the awe-

some sunrise.delicious meals with rice, spices

and tortilla-like roti or naan.Inside the well preserved St. Xavier

church.

St. Xavier cave where Mass was

held.deluxe room converted to dojo of

unshu and Shiho Kosokun. a typical Sunday ride for the entire

family.

espresso stand, Indian style. grass huts are frequently seen in

the rural areas.tony Shihan with college students.