Late Mr. C. Hanumantha Rao (Former Grandmaster and President BKI),
B.Com. (Osm.)
Master C. Hanumantha Rao was born on 1st July 1953, in a respectable family. He was a graduate in Commerce from Osmania University, Hyderabad, and a 9th Degree Black Belt from Karate Budokan International, Malaysia. Mr. Rao had shown his keen interest in games and sports during his school education and started karate practice under the guidance of a renowned karate Master Renshi R.V.T. Mani.
He adopted the Budokan Style of Karate in the year 1975. Grand Master Mr. Chew Choo Soot was kind enough to teach him advanced karate art and oriental weapons with keen interest within the country as well as in the Malaysian headquarters. He traveled along with Grand Master Mr. Chew Choo Soot to assist him in holding higher training camps in Malaysia, the United Kingdom, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Singapore, Thailand, etc., several times. He was the founder and Chief Instructor of Rao's Budokan Karate Dojos, having branches all over the country and abroad. Scores of students were trained under the banner of Rao's Budokan Karate Dojos. Many IAS and IPS officers were his students.
Mr. Rao was the Chief Karate Coach to the Andhra Pradesh Police Recruits and also Advisor of the Unarmed Combat Course (UAC). The students trained under him went on to work in various security departments in our country. He was an expert and had advanced knowledge in Katas and Oriental weapons. He participated in the 1991 International Karate Open Championships at Penang, Malaysia, and secured a gold medal. Grand Master Mr. Chew Choo Soot, after realizing his overall contribution to the progress of Budokan Karate, honored him by appointing him as Grandmaster's Representative in India.
He was one of the founder members of WUKO, WKC, and WUKF at the international level.
After the demise of our beloved Grand Master Chew Choo Soot, the task of supervising and furthering the objectives of KBI fell on the AIBKF. Mr. Rao, as the President of AIBKF, took on the challenge and, to further develop Budokan in India, traveled the length and breadth of the country. Due to his efforts, Budokan is now one of the largest karate styles in India, and the AIBKF is one of the largest federations in India, having its presence in almost all the states. He continued the tradition of organizing the All India Budokan Karate Championship in different parts of the country and abroad every year from 1980, and now this tournament has become the most popular event in India. He saw the Federation merge with KIO under a new name, Budokan Karate-Do India.
He was appointed as a Vice-President, Core Committee Member, and Chairman of the Sports Commission of KAI by Mr. Karate R. Thiagarajan, the dynamic Founder President of KAI. He was also the President of the Karate Association of Telangana (KAT).
As a Sports Commission Chairman, he was involved in all the state and all the KAI national selections in a very disciplined way. He was a godsend for Budokan and KAI.
He always said, in his 50 years of experience, "Our work is our recognition."
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