This little wonder picked up karate at the tender age of seven and has continued to practise and perfect his technique for the last four years.
According to his parents, Navanithan himself made the decision to pick up karate all those years ago. They humoured him, believing it would be a hobby he would eventually lose interest in. Little did they know that their son had a very real hidden talent.
He specialises in a traditional form of Japanese martial arts called Goju Kai which has been around for over 100 years.
Goju Kai features a combination of hard and soft techniques and is designed to develop one’s mind, body and technique.
The 11-year-old who is currently in Standard Six, is balancing both his studies and training and doing a fine job at both.
“I try my best to focus on schoolwork on the weekdays so that on the weekends I can spend my time training,” Navanithan told FMT.
When the pandemic struck and classes had to be conducted online due to the MCO, Navanithan still kept up with his training although the circumstances were far from ideal.
“It was hard during online classes as our master was not able to correct our posture and so sometimes, I was not sure if I was doing it correctly,” he said.
Through his passion, self-discipline, and continuous hard work Navanithan now holds a blue belt in Goju Kai and has participated in numerous competitions both nationally and internationally.
“I have travelled to India, the Philippines and Singapore to compete in karate competitions,” he said, beaming.
When a national lockdown was declared, Navanithan set his sights on e-competitions instead and on one occasion, brought home a gold medal. Apparently, nothing can kill the enthusiasm of this karate-master-in-the-making.
Navanithan did remark however, that there were not many competitions held during the lockdown as online judging is quite difficult to conduct. Nevertheless, now that most restrictions have been lifted, he is hopeful about competing again.
In spite of all the medals and certificates he’s received over the years for his karate, his ultimate dream is to represent his country someday. “I hope to be able to represent Malaysia one day in karate competitions,” he said.
However, by his own admission, following his passion has come with its fair share of sacrifices. While his friends hang out together over the weekends playing sports or video games, he is at the centre training to perfect his technique.
All the same, his hard work has paid off. Navanithan was recently selected to be a part of a short film by VIVO Malaysia that features other kids like himself who train in karate.
Filming took place over three days during his school holidays but it was gruelling work.
Navanithan’s parents said the filming started early in the morning and only wrapped up at night. But despite the long hours, their son didn’t complain. In fact, he was extremely grateful for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
“On most days, I would come home after filming, have dinner and then immediately go to bed to be ready for filming the next morning,” he tells FMT.
“The short film will be released on Jan 19 and will be played in cinemas nationwide,” he said.
Besides the short film, Navanithan was also selected as a talent in a movie that will begin filming later this year.
“When I grow up, I hope to be able to become a master and train young children just like me,” Navanithan shared, adding that besides teaching karate in the future, he also has dreams of becoming a school teacher.
“I really like Bahasa Melayu and want to teach the language one day.”
This young boy is an inspiration to many, especially his younger brother, who has recently picked up Goju Kai as well in the hopes of becoming just like his older brother some day.