India’s first shaolin master trains new generation of warriors

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By CGTN's Ryan Chua

More than 15 years ago, Kanishka Sharma left India to learn an art and way of life he used to see only in films.

He went to China to enroll at the world-renowned Shaolin Temple Disciple’s Union, taking the first step towards his dream of becoming a martial artist and shaolin master. It was an unusual dream as shaolin masters in India were unheard of.

For eight hours every day, Kanishka underwent rigorous physical, mental, and spiritual training in an unfamiliar land with a language that he did not speak. He almost gave up at one point, and he remembers being in tears when he once called his mom.

“I was away from home, that was the second time I traveled abroad, and my body was in pain,” Kanishka told CGTN's Assignment Asia.

“But she’s an iron lady. She told me on the phone, ‘Don’t even think of telling me that you want to come back. You better stay there and do what you wanted to do.’”

Years later, doing what he “wanted to do” paid off. Kanishka finished the program and returned to his country a shaolin “shifu” or master – India’s first.

Since becoming an official disciple of the Shaolin Temple, Kanishka has traveled the world to spread the message of shaolin and mastered various martial arts, from kung fu to karate and India’s kalaripayathu.

It is the fulfillment of a dream he’s had since he was seven, watching martial arts films, including the 1978 movie “The 36th Chamber of Shaolin.”

“Wow, I want to do this,” he remembers telling himself while watching characters in combat.

Students at India’s Shaolin Gurukul undergo intense physical, mental, and spiritual training. /CGTN screenshot

Today, Kanishka heads a martial arts school that he established in 2015 deep in the mountains of Nainital in India’s Uttarakhand state.

Surrounded by lush greenery in a remote part of the Indian Himalayas, Shaolin Gurukul teaches its students not only fighting techniques but also the shaolin way of life devoted to discipline and meditation.

Shaolin Gurukul’s rigorous training program combines shaolin philosophy (Chan), martial science (Wu), and medicine (Yi). Students live in the camp throughout the course.

“I think it’s when the teacher wants to teach you and the student is ready, that’s magic,” Kanishka said.

Kanishka’s school has attracted students from all over India and abroad. One of his students, Siddhant Saxena, studied karate for over three years before attending Shaolin Gurukul.

Shaolin Gurukul teaches its students not only fighting techniques but also the shaolin way of life. /CGTN screenshot

“I was not feeling connected to it,” he said. “So after my graduation I decided to come to him and started learning from him. When I first came and looked at him, it was like, ‘OK, this is the teacher I was looking for.’ It was the energy that told me I’m in the right place.”

Aside from teaching at Shaolin Gurukul, Kanishka trains Bollywood actors for their roles in action films.

He says he wants to inspire more people to take up martial arts as a profession and way of life in a country where it is seen more as a hobby.

But even as he teaches others the ancient craft, he continues to train himself.

“I never stopped learning,” Kanishka said. “That’s the secret of my being a martial artist.”

(Report by Shweta Bajaj)

Assignment Asia is a 30-minute current affairs program that takes an in-depth look at stories from all over Asia. It airs Saturday at 9.30 p.m. BJT (1330GMT) on CGTN, with rebroadcasts Sunday 5.30 a.m. (2130GMT) and 2.30 p.m. (0630GMT), Monday 9.30 a.m. (0130GMT) and Tuesday 1.30 p.m. (0530GMT).