Hard work and determination paid off for father and son, Ravesh and Aarav Ramroop who both received their black belts in karate at the recent Shotokan Karate-do International South Africa (SKISA) award dinner and sayonara banquet.
At the event, held at the Sastri College Conference Centre in Durban, humanitarian and philanthropist, Dr Imtiaz Sooliman was also awarded with a rare accolade.
The Ramroops, who live in Verulam, started doing karate in 2015, so it took them just eight years to get their black belt.
Ramroop is the deputy principal of Temple Valley Secondary School in Verulam and his son Aarav, 13, is in Grade 8, at Verulam Secondary School.
Eight years ago, said Ramroop, he and his wife, Nivashni, enrolled a “shy” Aarav, then five years old, for karate classes. Aarav encouraged his dad to join him and together they made karate a way of life for themselves – encouraging mum and younger brother, Aakhil, to join as well.
“As parents we wanted to instil confidence in our son, so we enrolled Aarav in the dojo of Sensei Lorenzo Pillay. We have never looked back from that moment. Every step has been full of milestones and achievements for Aarav and myself – my younger son, Aakhil, 9, joined us five years ago,” said Ramroop.
Achieving their black belt together was a milestone for the Ramroops, and dad said he and Aarav guided each other on their karate journey.
Their mentor is Sonny Pillay Hanshi, founder of SKISA.
“Karate is both physically and mentally challenging. The discipline of karate resonates with my dad and I, as well as the rest of our family. The competitive spirit it instils in us is what propels us to sustain and develop in the sport. Plus, sparring with one another is loads of fun,” said Aarav.
Achieving their black belts has inspired them to seek greater heights and, under the guidance of Pillay, the Ramroops will teach karate in Verulam.
“Teaching is in my blood and karate is my passion, so I look forward to teaching other karate enthusiasts. Aarav is also keen on teaching but also wants to work on receiving his Protea colours,” said Ramroop.
Pillay said an all-round sound work ethic is the recipe for success in karate.
Pillay said respected humanitarian and philanthropist, Sooliman, founder of Gift of the Givers Foundation, was given a rare accolade at the banquet.
“Sooliman received an honorary black belt teacher’s diploma by the Shotokan Karate-do International Federation. Dr Sooliman is a giant amongst men. Japanese Grandmaster Manabu Murakami presented him with the award,” said Pillay.
Sooliman said he trained in karate when he was younger but had not completed his training.
“I’m honoured by this award. Karate training is one unfulfilled aspect of my life. I’ve always wanted to train for physical strength, fitness, mind control and discipline – but it requires consistency. Years of involvement in community activities and 32 years in disaster management, made it impractical for me to train. I’m still hoping to do the training even if it’s only a few days a month,” said Sooliman.
