FIFTH ARTICLE

Bollywood hunk Akshay kumar somersaulted in style and chase a running truck to grab a bottle of Thumps Up in an ad recently, Abhishek Bachan is literally going ‘head over heal’ for hi superhero stint in Drona. Cut to delhi, Parkour (say Park-oor), a quasi-sport, quasi-martial art, is getting thick with Delhi’s youth.

Amlen Singha and Pankaj Rai were the first few youngsters who initiated the parkour group in Delhi. It’s now fashionably referred to as ‘TEAM MUTANTS’. Four year ago, we were inspired from a documentary aired on Discovery called JUMP LONDON. It was all about Parkour. The showmanship of this sport attracted us and we decided to give it a shoot. So, we started downloading lessons from the internet as there were and there are still no trainers in India for this French sport – says Pankaj.

 Interestingly the lads got smitten with the Mutants – non-human characters in the X-Men series and that’s where they got the name for their group from. Informs Amlen “Internationally, Parkour came into the limelight in the last couple of years, with films like Die hard 4, casino royal, mission impossible3.

What’s Parkour all about? Trim seraph Johnson Baa, another member of TEAM MUTANTS reveals, “It’s an extreme sport wherein the risk of injuries is high. We have to run, jump, hop, cross hurdles, twist, turn, do gymnastic moves and lot more. But at the same time, it’s a very creative sport and good for fitness. Parkour is about quick thinking. One should have some athletic ability and a certain fitness level to perform the various vaults.The best thing about this sport is that you can practice it just about anywhere. “Since we are quite experienced now, most of the time, we choose concert structures like DDA complexes, to rehearse our steps. But a beginner must choose a park and not a concrete    structure. Some steps include jumping on your back or on all fours from a certain height. Therefore to prevent injury, the floor should be cushioned for soft fall” adds AMLEN

These below 20 boys are not only very discipline about practicing it everyday, but are also hopeful to open a Parkour gym in Delhi. “ Abroad  in many countries they have  dedicated to parkour where traceurs ( as the participants are called) master all the vault. We feel we should have such a facility in Delhi. There is a gymnastic center in Faridabad and we all go there once a week to train ourselves,” says PANKAJ.

With social networking sites, it’s easy to discover and mingle with like-minded people. And that’s what TEAM MUTANTS done through ORKUT. They’ve formed their own community called PARKOUR INDIA, which has a couple of hundreds of enthusiasts. Trim adds, “Many boys and girls join us and ask all sort of questions regarding safety and how to begin, but after an attempt or two, most quit. The reason’s obvious – they find it difficult to cope with the vaults. And that’s precisely why we are not progressing very fast in term of numbers”.

 Talking of the dreade injuries, It’s not as if these guys haven’t faced them ever. Pankaj confesses, “ Once while doing a palm spin, I broke my thumb and got a hairline fracture”. So where can we catch these young turks in action? “We keep finding new places for newer and difficult obstacles, but our usual haunts are Rajendra Place Complex, Pusa Road; DU ground, near Ramjas college and District park near PVR vikas puri. 

FOURTH ARTICLE

Parkour sweeps the youth culture-Games People Play-The Sunday ...

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Parkour_sweeps_the_youth_culture/articleshow/2062131.cms

5/20/07 10:05 AM

The Economic Times Online

Printed from economictimes.indiatimes.com > The Sunday ET> Games People Play

Parkour sweeps the youth culture

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

[ SUNDAY, MAY 20, 2007 12:15:30 AM]

In the opening sequence of Casino Royale, the recent James Bond flick, a brawny Daniel Craig chases a

faster Sebastian Foucan up a crane. Foucan, who plays the role of Mollaka in the film, is a well known

Parkour artist.

Then in the recent Thums Up commercial our own homegrown superhero Akshay Kumar jumps and crawls

down a tall building to grab a bottle of soft drink from a truck. Unbelievable isn’t it? But it’s real. No

graphically altered images, no fooling-Welcome to the world of Parkour , where rules of gravity are often

thrown into the dustbin. Parkour, a quasi-acrobatic sport described by critics around the world as urban-steeplechase aerobics.The sports that thrills a growing number of extremists around the world who are unsatisfied with joggingaround the parks.

In a quiet-nondescript corner of South Delhi, one such unsatisfied soul hangs precariously from a first

floor balcony. Before you can blink your eye, like a cat, he lands softly on the pavement below. Slapping

the dust off his jeans, he walks up and extends his hand. “Hi, I am Ravi Kant,” he says. Hard to believe,

that the soft spoken, 25-year-old businessman is an exponent of Parkour,.

Parkour is a phenomenon that is sweeping youth culture around the world (The recent Indian television

commercials for Thums Up and Parachute Hair Cream involving Akshay Kumar and Yuvraj Singh

respectively prove that). Ravi caught the Parkour fever during his stay in the US. “Recently we were

approached for the Parachute ad but we declined because we are not professionals. There are hundreds

of people across the country practicing Parkour. We have our own team here and we practice during

weekends,” he says.

Parkour was developed in suburban Paris during the 1980s amongst a group of friends who used the

architectural landscape as their playground. The most prominent of this group is David Belle who is

considered one of the founder s of Parkour. But Parkour's history and influences run much deeper than

1980/90s Parisian urban playgrounds. Says Ravi, “Belle was much influenced by his father who, as a

soldier, developed similar kinds of movement with the French army. Links with his father's methods are

strongly related to George Hebert (1875 - 1957), a French physical educationalist and theorist who as a

young man travelled extensively with the Navy, and became interested in the physical abilities and

movement of sailors.”

A traceur's objective (as the exponents of Parkour are called) is to travel uninhibited by obstacles great or

small, such as walls, rooftops, trees etc. “Finding an uninterrupted flowing course from point A to point B

in the quickest and most fluid way possible is the aim,” explains Ravi. Actions normally involve a series of

moves including jumping, vaulting, leaping and balancing. “Have you seen the new Thums-Up commercial

where Akshay Kumar jumps and crawls his way down a building to grab his bottle of cola from a truck? It

looks unbelievable but it's very much doable. That's Parkour," Ravi says with a smile.

Foucan, along with the mercurial David Belle is an emerging group of Parkour artists wooed by top MNCs

like Nike, HP, Sony, Canon and Toyota to star in their television commercials. The trend seems to have

caught on in India too with our own homegrown superhero Akshay Kumar attempting a similar stunt in a

softdrink commercial.

A Coca-Cola India spokesperson told SundayET why Parkour was chosen to showcase the brand. “When

we set out to create the communication for brand Thums Up for the summer 2007 campaign, the one

thing we wanted to capture was the protagonist's yearning to get 'That' bottle of his favourite soft drink.

The challenge really was to present the strong, free and fearless spirit of the drinker who will do anything

to get his preferred soft drink. Yamakasi/Parkour-the art of displacement, as a communication medium

provided the ideal opportunity to capture this idea. The fact that it is relatively unknown in India actually

helped the brand communication process by bringing in elements of novelty and clutter-breaking appeal.”

The perception outlined above rings true because the media have been attracted to Parkour through its

high octane, fresh and youthful edge. Today's I-pod, fashion conscious, urban culture calls for as much

excitement as possible. The commercials for the Nike and Toyota caught the attention of interested

parties all over the world. In 2003 the release of the Channel 4 documentary Jump London, involving top

traceurs like Johann Vigroux and Foucan free-running over the rooftops of famous architectural

landmarks in London, proved the biggest catalyst for Parkour and encouraged many a youngster to start

practice themselves. A sequel followed soon after when another blockbuster, Jump Britain, debuted in

2005.

But Parkour is not only a macho portrayal of high-tensile muscular strength. Most true practitioners will

agree that their discipline is not just an activity but also a way of life. This philosophical side to the

practice, although perhaps a tad difficult for an average onlooker to understand distinguishes Parkour

from being just an extreme sport or a fun activity. 22-year-old Amleen Singha steals time from his busy

Homeopathy course to jump across roofs with his Parkour mates. “Parkour binds us together. It helps us

to interact with our environment.

When practicing it, most people quickly realise that there are many more routes one can take through an

area than they would otherwise have used. It's not boring because there is creativity involved in the

movements. The involvement of the mind is as important as the participation of the body. For me it's

feeling my surroundings,” says Amleen.

One of Parkour's greatest benefits, which certainly has helped its recent growth, is the lack of necessity

for any tools and equipment and apparatus. Basically anyone can practice Parkour, anywhere. All you

need is a good pair of trainers There is another advantage. According to keen followers of Parkour,

understanding the sport is helping people to view their environment in a totally different way.

For practitioners, no obstacle is too high or too difficult. As an enthusiast puts it, if you can teleport your

thoughts during practice into your daily life, you will never need a self-help book to overcome daily

obstacles. Wonder, if Zig Ziglar is listening?

©Bennett, Coleman and Co., Ltd. All rights reserved.

THIRD ARTICLE

Traceur blazer
Thursday March 29 2007 18:12 IST

Kamini Mathai

 

 

Akshay Kumar just tried it. James Bond did it only last year. But these boys in New Delhi have been hooked on parkour since 2003, when they watched a documentary called Jump London on Discovery Channel.

In fact, their parkour around the Capital’s India Habitat Centre, parks and university grounds have become so popular that Pankaj Kumar Rai and gang — Amlen Singha, Ravikant, Rajeev Dhiman — were called on to do a Parachute advertisement for a new men’s product that the company was launching.

‘‘They couldn’t,’’ says Pankaj’s elder brother Dheeraj. ‘‘They’re in the twelfth grade.’’ Since the board exams got the better of the deal, the boys have been content just improving on their parkour skills. And they’re loving every moment of it. “I’m waiting for my exams to get over,” says Pankaj, who has been at it since he was 16 years old. ‘‘So I can get out there and parkour more.’’

Parkour basically is a form of free running, where the traceur or traceuse (yes, like dancer and danseuse), aims to move from one point to the other in the quickest, most direct, and most efficient way possible (in fact, parkour was originally spelt parcours but the confusing ‘c’ was replaced with a ‘k’ and the silent inefficient ‘s’ removed in keeping with the sport’s mantra on directness).

That means if there is a wall, scale it. A railing? Slide down it. Large rock? Jump over. Park bench? Try the palm spin.

‘‘There is no way to describe parkour,’’ says Pankaj. Like all traceurs, he simply says, ‘‘parkour is parkour’’ and ‘‘you have to do it to know it’’.

But he has agreed to help out with this beginner’s guide for those who want to parkour up:

Who is behind it?

The founder of parkour was a David Belle, who believes that parkour teaches you to think on your feet… literally.

How to get started

First up, you need a certain level of fitness. Pankaj and gang grew their fitness levels by jogging through those very streets they now parkour on four to five times a week. ‘‘It began as fun,’’ says Pankaj. ‘‘I am now very serious about it. After my board exams I am planning to enroll in gymnastics classes while some of my friends are taking up martial arts.’’ Some traceurs say yoga and tai chi help, as these forms of exercise develop concentration, balance and flexibility. After all, parkour is as much about the mind as it is about the body.

Where to get started?

Anywhere. ‘‘We are constantly on the search for obstacles, the harder the better,’’ says Pankaj. That’s what a traceur does. Parkour doesn’t have to be high intensity like in Casino Royale or the Akshay Kumar ad. You don’t have to jump across buildings on day one. There’s enough to be found on the ground. Some traceurs believe you need to see the town or city you live in through the eyes of a child. That’s when it really becomes fun.

And what to remember

Just three things: You need to invest in a good pair of running shoes and loose cotton clothing. You need to be physically fit. And the sport is dangerous.

‘‘My mother is always worried I’ll hurt myself,’’ says Pankaj. ‘‘And I did fracture my arm once, when I tried the palm spin, a move in which you place your palm on an obstacle — pipe, bench or railing — and spin your body clockwise. But the upside is that this sport has taught me discipline like no other sport I have tried.’’

If you need more information, you can get to Pankaj at parkourin@ gmail.com (‘‘but only after April 15, I have my exams till then’’) or check out his website www.parkourindia.tk. He says parkour enthusiasts from all over the country have been mailing him on how to get started and he can help out with tips, tricks and where to find tutorials.

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SECOND ARTICLE

TEXTUAL VERSION 
 

 

 

LIVING DANGEROUSLY

A group of adrenalin junkies in Delhi have discovered anew sport. It’s called Le Parkour and to see it at its gravity-defying best, rewind to the chase sequence that opened Casino Royale.

 

 

 

I

f you found the extended chase sequence that opened Casino Royale, or have seen in Tom Cruise defy gravity atop Shanghai skyscrapers in Mission: Impossible III, don’t fret. You can get a slice of the action right here in the city, where a group gets its adrenalin high from Le Parkour, which is the name for creative acrobatics.

 

TODAY met up five boys who’d gathered round an open area in west Delhi to feel the adrenalin course through their veins. They ran, leapt, rolled, and vaulted over buildings, trees and concrete impediments. They looked like young versions of superman as they cut through the air with fluid movements, drawing gaps from onlookers.

 

Amlen Singha, 21, and Pankaj Rai, 18, developed a passion for this sport two years ago after watching the documentary Jump London. “It looked like a tough call then,”saya Singha, who’s studying to be homeopath. “We wanted to do the same unbelievable stunt and we took online tutorials. He found a quick convert in Rai, a class XII student, who says: “I was afraid initially didn’t have the courage to practice, but then I joined Amlen and went through the drills. I have been practicing thrice a week ever since.” The group is now looking to grow. It hopes to rope in more youngsters from across Delhi. The Traceurs, or young people who lived and breathe Le Parkour come from all walks of life. Ravi Kant, 24, a garment exporter, finds great creativity in this high energy gig. He says: “It’s creative because you mix and match your own movements in negotiating any obstacle. The main lesson you learn is that you can achieve anything you set your mind on.” For Kant, it was baptism by fire after he watched several Le Parkour videos online. “Just a year and a half back, there were only six or seven online video on Le Parkour,” he says. “Today a search throws up hundreds of videos from around the world.”

 

The traceur perform high-risk feats with whatever means they have on hand. The boys we saw leapt over cement structures by pirouetting over them on their hands. “It’s exiting to add fun to your walk rather than just follow your nose,” says Kant, summing up Le Parkour philosophy.

 

“We plan to have top Traceurs come to India and host workshops, training camps to help publicise Le Parkour in India.”  -Pankaj rai               

                                         

 

The new youngster on the block is Rajeev Dhiman, a student who’s preparing to take hi class XII examination. “Le Parkour is mind blowing,” Dhiman said. “It actually conditions my mind and helps me study better.” The young man has two dreams that keep him going. One is to join the Army and the other, to become the best freerunner, which is another moniker for the traceurs.

 

Like any other adventures sports, Le Parkour has its share of professional hazards. Kant has broken his foot, Rai has broken his thumb and Dhiman has broken his knee as a rite of passage. Le Parkour comprises some basic moves, from the King Kong, in which the Traceur places two hands on an obstacle and then leaps between them, to the Tic Tac, which is a type of leap in mid movement from a wall or another surface.

 

Kant says Le Parkour enthusiasts in India are more prone to accidents because they don’t have Le Parkour gyms, which have cushions and mats for a soft fall. Such precautions are used routinely abroad for techniques with high level of difficulty, until they can practice them on natural props. “We keep exploring Delhi for uninhabited spots with obstacles but the infrastructure isn’t conducive,” Kant says. “I once jumped off this wall in north Delhi that crumbled and I ended up having a bad fall.”

 

“It looked like tough call then. We wanted to do the same unbelievable stunts as in the documentary, Jump London, so we took online tutorials.”   -  Amlen Singha  

 

 

Le parkour still is not recognized as a proper sport because there is no scoring system or levels, but the Traceurs are optimistic. “Even skateboarding started out as a hobby but thanks to its huge popularity, it becomes a sport.” Singha says. “Le Parkour is fairly new but with its explosion on the internet, it is gaining converts.”

 

For Le Parkour practice makes perfect. “One has to get a sense of challenge and then visualize how to conquer it,” Singha says. “A year ago, I could climb 9-foot obstacles and jump 5 feet across, now I can climb 16 feet and jump 5 meters.” That’s some feet, considering that their learning is limited to internet access only.

 

PANKAJ even has set up a web site to popularize Le Parkour in India and is thrilled with the overwhelming response he has received from both boys and girls. “We plan to have top Traceurs come to India and host workshops, training camps to help publicize Le Parkour in India,” he says.

FIRST ARTICLE