MUMBAI: During the All-Mumbai District Martial Art Championship 2005 recently, an 11-year-old karateka fell on his back during his fight which scared everybody in the audience. Reason? Pratik Sheratkar suffers from a physical deformity on his back which does not allow him to stand straight.
And when the officials came to take him away fearing an injury, he insisted that he be allowed to fight. In the end, he even won it.
A clot that emerged during his childhood prompted the doctors to operate him, but one of his nerves got accidentally cut. But this definitely hasn’t spurred his spirits. The standard VII student joined a karate school just last month but had enough determination to fight in the tournament.
“I joined the karate school first and later I also encouraged him to join it,” says Pratik’s elder brother Pawan. “My father also supported the move and he got excited about being able to practice karate and so we went ahead and enrolled him in the same school that I went to.”
Ask Pratik whether he fears injuring himself and he looks straight in your eyes, before saying: “I have no reason to fear. I am here to just prove myself.”
The KA Banthia School (Panvel) student has joined with another motive as well. “I like stretching and the kicks. It will also help me increase my height,” he reveals.
Even his teacher, Chote Lal Bind, has chosen to ignore his disability. “His parents brought him to me and my only concern of him suffering from low self esteem also faded away once I saw his dedication and determination,” says Bind.
