Hijab-clad Palakkad school principal uses karate to bring positive changes in students

As she took her favourite Shiko Dachi stance at the Jimmy George Sports Hub in Thiruvananthapuram last Sunday, Dr Sajeena Shukkoor was all smiles.

For the hijab-wearing karateka, it was not just conquering another milestone; this was the result of her dogged determination to come up trumps against all odds.

Indeed the Sunday was special for the diminutive 49-year-old principal of the Government Higher Secondary School at Chalissery in Palakkad district. Accolades followed after she represented Kerala as the oldest participant in the second South Indian Karate Championship organised by the South India Karate Federation.

"Life was not easy for me. From my teenage, I wanted to learn martial arts. But my conservative Muslim family was dead against it. Then I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis by the time I turned 21," she told Onmanorama.

"Luckily, I got married to a karate exponent. My husband, Dr Iqbal K M, trained me in karate, which was once my dream," Sajeena said.

"By then I had given birth to my son. Neither the pregnancy nor the disease stopped me from chasing my dream. Twenty years ago, I wore my black belt,” she said brimming with pride. (A black belt is awarded to a karateka after she reaches a very high standard)

Not just the stygian honour around her waist, the bespectacled educator stands tall on achievement in the academic field. She has a PhD in linguistics. Her topic? ‘Effects of Martial Arts on Linguistic Performance in English with Special Reference to Karate’.

She said she carried out her experimental study for three months among the schoolchildren who were shy and were overwhelmed by people around them. Sajeena introduced them to karate. “The result was spectacular. Their confidence was boosted, their handwriting improved and their anxiety issues solved. By the end of the study, they could face a group of audience without stage fear," the proud teacher said.

"Their basic skills – be it listening, speaking or reading - all improved significantly,” she added.

The Department of Linguistics, University of Kerala, has published the study as a book titled ‘Karate as Reinforcement and Teaching English'. Sajeena has five more books to her name.

“One thing I am sure of is that karate makes one an improved person both mentally and physically. Middle-aged women go through a lot of physical changes and suffer mental trauma. Regular martial arts sessions help beat such blues

Take my case. After taking over as the principal, I had to skip the practice session for a long period. Soon, I realised that my life was affected by severe mood swings. Moreover, I am bulky for my height (152 cm). I was on the verge of quitting my job. But, Iqbal once again rescued me. He pushed me to restart the training sessions and that brought my cheerful self back,” she said.

Sajeena now plans to start a training session for her fellow teachers. “Our school teacher-student ratio is 30:1 (ie. for nearly 3,000 students there are 100 teachers). The teacher's training in martial arts will definitely keep away the middle-age greyness, and mood swings and bring back the happy hormones in them,” she said. "The National Service Scheme (NSS) unit will impart self-defence through martial arts to girl students," she said elaborating on her future plans.

For all her achievements, she thanks her husband Iqbal, who is an 8th dan karate expert and martial arts coach at the Sports Authority of India (SAI), Thiruvananthapuram. Their son Ahsan Al-Ameen is a third-year BAMS student and also holds a black belt in karate.