IT was just another hard day’s work for 26-year-old Puran Chauhan. He was returning from Delhi to his home in Ghaziabad on his bike. At a traffic signal, he heard a cry for help. He glanced across the line of cars and saw four burglars making good their escape after snatching a gold chain from a woman in a car. In a dash, Chauhan jumped off his bike, leaped over a car and gave a perfect side-kick to one of the fleeing thieves. The thief, who was armed with an eight-inch dagger, fell to the ground in a daze. He quickly spat out the chain he had stuffed in his mouth and immediately surrendered. His companions, meanwhile, ran for their lives.

This is as it should be, for ever since he can remember, Puran Chauhan wanted to emulate his icon, Bruce Lee. Over the years, he taught himself karate, judo, kung fu and taekwondo and earned three dan in taekwondo and karate. Today he can kick more than eight feet in the air, land a punch before you can blink an eye, dive over seven feet and perform stunts that would do Lee proud.

But the spectators, who saw Puran Chauhan in action against the thieves that day, were flabbergasted. For this street-hero they saw pulverise a bunch of armed thieves had only one leg!

With a crutch for support, Puran has mastered the art of self-defence. — Photos Subhash Bhardwaj

"They all surrounded me and asked me how I managed to do it", says Chauhan. This incident which occurred in February this year, was however, just another feather in Puran Chauhan’s cap.

Till now he has won more than 13 gold medals in martial art championships and has been felicitated by authorities ranging from sports ministers to the Delhi Police.

But, be it his one-legged karate chops or daredevilry on his motorbike, one question that is hurled at him almost every other day is, "How do you manage to do it?"

Ironically, people who don’t know Chauhan sympathise with him and even offer to help kick-start his bike or help him put it on a stand. "But when they see me do it all by myself and drive away they are amazed", says Chauhan.

Chauhan lost his right leg in a road accident when he was only five. Ever since he has been on a crutch. His desire to prove that there was nothing others could do with their two good legs that he couldn’t do with one leg, propelled Chauhan to take up martial arts.

He approached martial art academies but was laughed away. "They all asked me whether I wanted to break my second leg too", he recounts. Not to be deterred, Chauhan like the mythological Eklavya, learnt on his own. He read all he could on martial arts, saw martial art movies and began practising in isolated parks. Learning was difficult but his zeal to succeed was greater. Soon the very martial art institutes that had ridiculed his ambition had to accept him and Chauhan was awarded three dan in martial arts.

Today Chauhan is a martial arts coach. With his crutch for support, he has mastered all the nuances of fighting and self-defence. He rides his bike over 40-50 kilometres to and from his house in Ghaziabad to Delhi where he teaches self-defence to his students at their homes. These are mostly children of IPS and IAS officers who hire him for a small fee. He also runs a martial arts academy, Shikhar Martial Arts, near his house in Bhopra district of Gaziabad but does not charge any money from the students.

"These are students who cannot pay the fee. How can I forget the days when instructors showed me the door. I cannot do the same and deny others the opportunity to learn," he explains.

Almost half his students are girls who are taught self-defence. According to him, keeping in mind the growing incidents of eve-teasing in cities and towns, learning martial arts is a must for girls. "If a girl knows martial arts, she is secure as she will know how to defend herself," he says.

But the greatest moment of his life came when Chauhan was hired to teach Delhi policemen last year. Chauhan was so elated that he decided to teach free of cost. "It was the greatest achievement. Teaching the cops affirmed the fact that I was just as much capable as anybody else," says Chauhan. He taught the North East Delhi district police personnel his "lock and choke" techniques for over three months. "The lock and choke technique is best for the police as they have to deal with armed criminals. In this technique one can incapacitate the criminal before he can harm you," says Chauhan.

The then DGP, North East district, S.K. Gautam, who hired Chauhan has many words of praise for him. While on an early morning walk, he had spotted him practising martial arts in a park and was greatly impressed by what he saw. "He is more than a man if you see him in action. He is too quick on his crutch and his footwork is simply amazing", he says.

Though Puran Chauhan has received numerous awards and felicitations, there is little help in terms of employment. His earnings from his martial art classes are meagre. Chauhan has two brothers but it is he who shoulders the responsibility of looking after his ageing parents. Puran Chauhan has not only transcended his disability but has also excelled in his vocation. According to a census, some 60 million people are disabled in India alone. Chauhan is a paragon of fortitude and courage from whom the disabled can seek inspiration. It is a pity, therefore, to see him running from pillar to post for a job. "All that I want is to teach people what I have learned," he says. Chauhan has now enrolled for a MBA course to look for an alternative source of income.

Despite government indifference, Chauhan has not lost his cheer and is grateful for what he has.

"I never felt I was lacking in any way. I can do everything that anyone can. In school, I was the naughtiest kid and more often than not I won all the fights," he laughs. Then turning to his crutch at his side, he says: "This is not my crutch. This is my right leg."