Youth on mind, ‘accepting defeat and victory’ motto, Rahul Gandhi plans ‘Bharat Dojo Yatra’

Over next few years, Congress leader’s travels will see camps where he will train with youngsters in Jiu-Jitsu martial art form; party draws link with Bharat Jodo Yatra

“ACCEPTING defeat and victory.” As per Congress sources, that is the idea behind the new project Rahul Gandhi is set to embark upon: ‘Bharat Dojo Yatra’.

A far – and not-so-far – cry from the Congress leader’s Bharat Jodo Yatra I and II, Bharat Dojo Yatra will see him train with youngsters and children across the country in the Jiu-Jitsu Japanese martial art form during his travel programmes. Dojo broadly refers to a training hall or school for martial arts. The timeline for this programme “to engage with the youth”, where Gandhi will also interact with those coming for the sessions, is not months but “the next few years”.

Making the announcement on National Sports Day Thursday on his X account, Gandhi attached a video giving glimpses of similar sessions held by him with youngsters during his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra.

Making the announcement on National Sports Day Thursday on his X account, Gandhi attached a video giving glimpses of similar sessions held by him with youngsters during his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra. Without giving details, he said a “Bharat Dojo Yatra is coming soon”.

Calling “inculcating values of Jiu-Jitsu among the young” entirely “Gandhi’s vision”, a Congress leader said: “Our leader has always believed that the perception of martial arts needs to change, and that such practices are not just combative in nature, but have elements of respect for others, self-control, self-defence, and of accepting defeat and victory. It is something very close to Rahul Gandhi’s heart, and he wants to inculcate such values through these sessions among the youth. He wants to take this to a larger audience in India, and hence, will hold such training sessions across India.”

During the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, as we journeyed across thousands of kilometers, we had a daily routine of practicing jiu-jitsu every evening at our campsite. What began as a simple way to stay fit quickly evolved into a community activity, bringing together fellow yatris and… pic.twitter.com/Zvmw78ShDX

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) August 29, 2024

About how long the programme will last, the source said: “The details like timeline for such sessions are being chalked out, but it will be a long-term project which will last years… Wherever Rahul Gandhi goes in the country, we will be organising these training sessions. Youngsters will be called for these sessions, and Rahul ji will also hold conversations with them on a wide range of topics apart from practising Jiu-Jitsu.”

An umbrella term for Japanese martial arts, Jiu-jitsu involves training in close combat (unarmed or with a minor weapon).

An umbrella term for Japanese martial arts, Jiu-jitsu involves training in close combat (unarmed or with a minor weapon). It can be used for defensive or offensive purposes.

In his post on X, Gandhi said that during his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, held from January 14 to March 16, in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections this year, “as we journeyed across thousands of kilometers, we had a daily routine of practicing jiu-jitsu every evening at our campsite”.

“What began as a simple way to stay fit quickly evolved into a community activity, bringing together fellow yatris and young martial arts students from the towns where we stayed. Our goal was to introduce these young minds to the beauty of the ‘Gentle Art’—a harmonious blend of meditation, jiu-jitsu, Aikido, and non-violent conflict resolution techniques. We aimed to instill in them the value of transforming violence into gentleness, giving them the tools to build a more compassionate and safer society. On this #NationalSportsDay, I want to share our experience with all of you, hoping to inspire some of you to take up the practice of the ‘Gentle Art’,” he added.

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The video on the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra talks of how Gandhi and others had trained several youngsters in Jiu-Jitsu, sharpened their skills, explored new philosophies, and enjoyed every moment.

Unlike Bharat Jodo Yatra where Gandhi walked from Tamil Nadu to Kashmir on foot, he travelled the distance from Imphal in Manipur to Mumbai in Maharashtra during the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra mostly by bus.

The video on the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra talks of how Gandhi and others had trained several youngsters in Jiu-Jitsu, sharpened their skills, explored new philosophies, and enjoyed every moment.

Gandhi mentions in the video that he is a black belt in Aikido, and a blue belt in Jiu-Jitsu, and he elaborates on various techniques of martial arts.

Asad Rehman

Asad Rehman is with the national bureau of The Indian Express and covers politics and policy focusing on religious minorities in India. A journalist for over eight years, Rehman moved to this role after covering Uttar Pradesh for five years for The Indian Express. During his time in Uttar Pradesh, he covered politics, crime, health, and human rights among other issues. He did extensive ground reports and covered the protests against the new citizenship law during which many were killed in the state. During the Covid pandemic, he did extensive ground reporting on the migration of workers from the metropolitan cities to villages in Uttar Pradesh. He has also covered some landmark litigations, including the Babri Masjid-Ram temple case and the ongoing Gyanvapi-Kashi Vishwanath temple dispute. Prior to that, he worked on The Indian Express national desk for three years where he was a copy editor. Rehman studied at La Martiniere, Lucknow and then went on to do a bachelor's degree in History from Ramjas College, Delhi University. He also has a Masters degree from the AJK Mass Communication Research Centre, Jamia Millia Islamia. ... Read More