Alan Thilak Karate School

Alan Thilak Karate School is based in Lane No 3 in the Begumpet area of Hyderabad. If you walk down the lane in the 500016 area, you can usually hear the sounds of students practicing their moves. We aren't a traditional academic school with desks and blackboards; instead, we have mats and space for training. It’s a local spot where kids and even some adults from around Begumpet come to learn karate. The building is simple, and the training hall is where most of the time is spent. It gets pretty sweaty in there during the summer months, but everyone just keeps working on their forms and punches. We have been here for a good while, and Alan Thilak is a name that people in the martial arts circles around here recognize. It’s not a fancy gym with air conditioning and mirrors everywhere; it’s a more old-school place where the focus is just on the practice itself. You’ll see the white uniforms hanging up or kids running in with their belts tied loosely after school. In the evenings, the place gets quite busy as the different batches come in for their sessions. It’s a grounded, practical place that has become part of the neighborhood routine. We don't spend much time on talk, we just get onto the mats and start the session every day. The wooden floors have seen a lot of hard work over the years, and we wouldn't have it any other way in this little corner of Begumpet.