Indian Academy Of Oriental Martial Arts

If you walk into New Ashirwad in Saibaba Park, you’ll find the Indian Academy Of Oriental Martial Arts at Flat No 3. It’s not a huge gym or one of those flashy studios you see in movies. It’s a flat that we’ve turned into a space for practice. In Malad West, space is always a bit tight, but we make it work. You can usually hear the sounds of feet hitting the mats from the hallway. We spend a lot of time cleaning the floors because everyone is barefoot. The windows stay open most of the time to let a breeze in, though mostly it’s just the Malad heat. We have students coming in at all hours, some kids dropping their bags in the corner and some older folks who’ve been coming for years. It’s a bit of a squeeze when the evening classes start. We don’t have fancy uniforms or a front desk person. Usually, one of us just stops what we’re doing to say hello. There’s a lot of sweat and sometimes a bit of shouting during the harder drills. The neighborhood is mostly quiet, which is nice. We’ve been in Evershine Nagar for a bit now, and most of the neighbors know what’s going on when they hear the thumping. It’s a practical space for people who actually want to learn and don't care about the extra stuff. The mats are a bit worn but they do the job.