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Olympian to learn ancient art

Joshua McGuire during a Kalari training session.

KOZHIKODE: Dressed in a black cloth worn tightly around his legs and wielding a sharp sword in his left hand, Joshua McGuire looks like one of the several foreigners learning Kalari Payattu at CVN Kalari in this Northern Kerala city.

But, the 24-year-old is not just another foreigner intrigued by Kalari Payattu, often referred to as the mother of all martial arts. He is a double Olympian in fencing, former World Under-17 champion and the gold medalist at the last Commonwealth championship; and he came to India straight after reaching the last 16 in men’s individual foil event at the Beijing Olympics (he had lost to Salvatore Sanzo, the Italian who went on to win the bronze).

“I have been wanting to learn Kalari ever since I saw it being taught back home in Canada, by Geethanjali Wolfgramm, a former of this institute, and decided to fly to India directly from Beijing,” McGuire told The Hindu.

“I am glad that I have begun learning this most ancient art, for it is going to help me a great deal in my sport, fencing. There are a lot of similarities between fencing and Kalari, especially in my particular discipline, foil: like the way you thrust the weapon or attack. A fencer could take a lot of positives out of Kalari, such as the hand-eye coordination and the agility.”

He would certainly recommend Kalari for fencers. “Who knows, I could well be a trendsetter,” he smiles. He also feels someone who is proficient at Kalari could do well in fencing as well, with proper training. “I know India doesn’t have much of a tradition in fencing, but Kerala, with its history in Kalari, could produce some good fencers,” he says. About the Beijing Olympics, he says it was a brilliantly conducted event. “I had gone to China three months before the Games and was surprised by the way Beijing transformed in time for the Olympics,” he says.

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