V.Padma [Instructor, JSTARC]

JSTARC has achieved yet another milestone with its first batch of black belt students and a international medals. My acquaintance with JSTARC has been from the year 2002. How fast has the time flown!

I still cherish the day I took the decision to join this esteemed institute for learning TAEKWONDO. JSTARC started of with hardly 15 students of which I was one of them. The dedication, passion and perseverance of Master increased the class strength to around 50 students in a month. Gradually, the strength increased to about 100. On the very first day we were taught the etiquettes of TEAKWONDO. The initial training consisted of only sparring and its techniques. Taekwondo training picked up momentum and we started playing at various district-level, state-level and national-level tournaments.

In the year 2004, JSTARC introduced modern Taekwondo to India by hosting an event by the personnel of prestigious Chung Cheong University in S. Korea. This event was an eye opener for me and I realized that TAEKWONDO was much more than a martial art, aiming to bring about international unity and a concern for humanity.

The year 2005 saw the hosting of a Cultural exchange program between India and Korea of which the demonstration by the world's no. 1 Korean Taekwondo demonstration team, the K-Tigers (short for Korean-Tigers) formed an eventual part. They revived Poomsae (forms) and introduced Taekwondo Dance, Taekwondo Aerobics, Taekwondo Acrobatics (Gymnastics) and a lot more. It was the first time in India where a demonstration of this kind had been showcased. It inspired me to perfect the art and view TAEKWONDO as 'a way of life'.

We gradually started training in Poomsae, Taekwondo Dance, Acrobatics and demonstration techniques. Today JSTARC is the only organization in India which conducts various kinds of training programs in collaboration with K-Tigers.

During the starting years, Master used to visit Korea and keep India and JSTARC abreast with modern developments made in this martial art. But today we stand in an even higher ground by sending a team of students every year to Korea to directly interact with and train under the masters and veterans of the field .I thank Master for having given me an opportunity to be a part of such a team. We are thus trying and endeavoring to yet improve this art in India and showing the beauty and spirit of this art to all.

January 2009, witnessed a first of its kind National tournament, JSTARC Open 2009 organized at D.Y. Patil Sports Stadium. It had all the true spirit of taekwondo and taekwondo practitioners from all parts of India and some of its neighboring countries too participated. Thus JSTARC reached yet another milestone in its view of promoting TAEKWONDO.

Today when I stand and look back at the achievements of JSTARC it is a matter of pride that we have been and are achieving such great heights in such a short span of time. None of this might have been possible without Master Nilesh Jalnawala, who has been our Coach, Guide, Philosopher and a Godfather. He has been our Inspirational Icon, focusing us towards the goal.

My association with this institute has not only taught me about TEAKWONDO but also about life, and so my journey with JSTARC and TAEKWONDO continues……….