Karnataka trains 5,972 schoolgirls in self-defence to boost their confidence

Davanagere: The Karnataka government has trained for free 5,972 girls in karate, judo and taekwondo to build their confidence through self-defence skills.
The girls who received the training stay in hostels run by the departments of social welfare and backward class welfare in the Davanagere district. The training was given by 46 experts for about three months. It was completed recently.
The state government tried this training for the first time as an experiment under the Obavva Aatma Rakshane Kale or Obavva self-defence skills. The aim was to boost the courage and self-confidence of schoolgirls.
The government attempted to train the girls across the state, Reshma Kousar, the deputy director of social welfare, Davanagere, said.
Girl students from rural areas were not showing much interest in higher education as they need to move to urban areas and were insecure about the shift. This type of training is useful, said Gangappa, the district backward class welfare officer.
Sensei T.Kubernaik, one of the trainers who is the first winner of the Karate Kesari award by the state government, said: “I have trained hundreds of girl students of the residential schools along with post-matric girls’ hostels in Davanagere district. They are doing well now.”
Kubernaik said that girls in Classes 7 to 10 “are showing a lot of interest and they attend in full training without missing a single class when compared to girls in post-matric hostels.”
Manaswini Pandith and Mahalaxmi Pandith, siblings from Jagalur who took the training, said they were confident of facing any difficult situation now. “We have learnt breathing techniques and skills of fighting to rescue ourselves from crime,” one of them said. “Besides, it has kept us physically and mentally fit.”
‘I feel proud that my daughters got the karate training as it is essential these days, Manjunath Pandith, the father of the girls, said. “I always recommend to my friends and relatives that their daughters should also get this training,” Pandith said.