Meet Kashmir's Youngest Kickboxing Champion

Brut India

She’s only 13, but she can kick and box like the World Champion she is. Meet Tajamul Islam. She’s teaching the children of north Kashmir the tough art of self-defence. And last week, she grabbed the gold at the World Championships in Egypt.

Transcript

00:00My name is Vijomil Islam, World Kickboxing Champion from Bangalore, North Kashmir.

00:30I said, wow, this is such an interesting game. What do they wear on their hands? I want to

00:40wear this too.

00:51I was hidden at home. I said, I want to play too. They hid me because I was very small.

00:56They used to tell me, if you get injured, what will you do? You are very small, don't

01:01play. So I talked to my mom. My mom supported me since childhood. My mom convinced my dad

01:06and my dad always supports me.

01:17They always used to say, you have to do it, you have to do it, you have to do it. No

01:21matter how big the problem is, you have to do it.

01:27My first trophy was my best fighter cup in Jammu. I think I was 7 years old when I won

01:36my best fighter cup in Jammu. That year I went to the national league and that year I

01:43went to the world championship. I was selected in Delhi and went to the military. I was very

01:51happy and I was very small. I got a medal, I got a trophy. When was the best fighter

01:57given at such a young age? I am a best fighter, seriously. So I was very happy that no, I

02:02should do more.

02:05In Bandipur, self-defense is very important for girls. It is important and there is self-defense

02:10after every girl.

02:17My aim is that I have been interested in kickboxing since childhood. When I was small, my cousins

02:22used to tell me that I should do it. So I did it.

02:34When I was a child, my parents used to tell me that we have to do this, we have to be

02:38doctors. Then I used to think that I also want to be a doctor. So there were many poor individuals

02:42in the hospitals. They never had money for treatment. They used to wander here and there.

02:48So I want to treat them. The main reason is that if I break someone's bone in a fight,

02:54if the doctor was not available, then I am a doctor, I am the best. So I will break his

02:59bones and join them.

03:04www.globalonenessproject.org

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