Dr. Seema Rao, who is India’s first combat trainer and has spent more than 2 decades in training soldiers that too without compensation. Today Mad4India gives the credits where it’s due and salutes Dr. Seema Rao who is India’s first woman commando trainer.
India’s Wonder Woman
There are people that are good at something but then there comes a few who excel at everything they lay their foot in. Dr. Seema Rao falls under the last.
The passion for the country was engraved in Seema Rao through the legacy of her father. Ramakant Sinari who himself was a freedom fighter led a movement to free Goa from the reigns of the Portuguese.
An episode of sexual harassment on a public street in her late teens changed her course in Seema Rao’s life. She decided to strengthen and learn to defend herself with martial arts. She went on to win a black belt in Taekwondo and Krav Maga, as well as an 8th-degree black belt in martial arts. She is also the world’s highest qualified female trainer in Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kune Do.
Life of Seema Rao
Seema hailed from Mumbai and was very fearful as well as timid in life as a girl. Although she was a weak child and was afraid of almost everything, Seema decided to deal with her fears.
To overcome her fear of heights, he studied mountaineering at the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute and won a silver medal. To overcome the fear of water, she completed the SCUBA Deep Sea Diving Course from PADI, USA. He overcame his fear of Fire by becoming a FireFighter. Rao overcame her fear of living alone by studying Jungle Survival.
She was married off at the age of 18 but this is where Seema’s story as a fighter efflorescence. Seema’s better half and a very special man Major Deepak Rao encouraged her to complete her martial arts and combat training.
Not just that, he also pushed her to study alternative medicine, leadership from international universities, jungle survival, scuba diving, and a lot more. Seema Rao bestows Deepak as the source of her success and achievements.
A True Love Story
The couple had to deal with a lot of financial hardship in the early years of their marriage but they stuck to their decision not to charge a single rupee for their work. Also, as Seema often went to hostile places, bad weather, and chronic situations, she could not even attend her father’s funeral. Realizing that it would not be possible for her to conceive, in view of her strict training program, Seema decided not to have her own baby but to adopt a girl.
During the operation, Seema also suffered multiple injuries, including a broken spine and severe head injuries that left her unable to remember for months, she could not see anyone but her husband. He was also shot by rebels and needed eye surgery. This is when Seema Rao decided to sell her Mangalsutra. All these hardships tried to pull the couple down but their determination to serve his nation did not waver.
“Yes She Can”
Dr. Seema received the Nari Shakti Award from the President of India for being the first and only Women Commando Coach in India.
She has trained commandos from all elite forces including special forces, the NSG Black Cats, the IAF’s Garud Commando Force, the Navy-Marine Commandos, and many others. She and her husband Dr. Deepak Rao received three Army Chief excerpts for their work in the close-quarter battle (CQB).
Seema Rao is one of the rarest people in the world to excel in Jeet Kune Do – a form of martial arts founded by legendary Bruce Lee.
She has co-authored several books and has produced and acted in India’s first film Mixed Martial Art (MMA), Hathapayi, which is also the first Indian film to showcase the martial arts of Jeet Kune Do.
To Know more about Seema Rao, Visit her Instagram, Website, and LinkedIn
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