Harare — ALL is now set for the arrival in Zimbabwe of one of the most decorated karate instructors in the world -- S. Srinivasan of India.

S. Srinivasan is the Grand Master and founder of the Indian karate style of bino-ryu and he is now expected to arrive in Zimbabwe towards the end of March for a one-week visit at the invitation of the Zimbabwe Bino-ryu Karate-do Association.

This will, in fact, be his first visit to Africa.

Jairos Manjoro, the local branch bhief of bino-ryu, said yesterday that S. Srinivasan had confirmed his visit of Zimbabwe and would be arriving in this country towards the end of next month.

"We have done all the groundwork in preparation for S. Srinivasan's arrival in Zimbabwe and I'm happy to announce that we have already secured accommodation for him and the other instructor who is going to accompany him during his one-week stay in this country," Manjoro said.

A local hotel group -- Cresta Hospitality -- has come to the rescue of the Zimbabwe Bino-ryu Karate-do Association by offering S. Srinivasan and his colleague accommodation at one of their hotels during their one-week stay in Harare.

"We are very grateful to the Cresta Hospitality group for their generous offer of accommodation to our distinguished guests and this has lessened some of our burden as we prepare for our guests' arrival at the end of next month.

"And since we've secured accommodation for our visitors, we are now looking for some assistance in raising money for their return air tickets from India to Zimbabwe.

"We are also appealing to the local corporate world to give us some sponsorship which can come in the form of transport that S. Srinivasan and his colleague will use during their stay in Harare," Manjoro said.

During his visit next month, S. Srinivasan is expected to confer Manjoro with the title of Shihan.

A Shihan (Master) is a karate title which is conferred on instructors who are above third dan black belt holders.

And S. Srinivasan's expected arrival at the end of next month follows Manjoro's visit to India at the beginning of August last year where he attended a two-week advanced training and grading programme at the style's headquarters in Hyderabad.

At the completion of that training and grading programme, Manjoro graduated from a third dan blacbelt holder to a fourth dan black belt.

Manjoro is currently ranked as a fourth dan instructor and according to the international rules governing the bino-ryu style, he will only be conferred with the title of Shihan by the style's Grand Master, S. Srinivasan, on his (Manjoro's) home soil.

And now all is set for S. Srinivasan to pay a one-week visit to Zimbabwe for the installation ceremony in Harare.

Apart from coming down here for the installation ceremony, S. Srinivasan will also conduct self-defence classes and coaching clinics for local karatekas who practice bino-ryu.

He will also upgrade 20 to 25 karatekas to black belt level and among them will be two females and a 10-year-old boy, Christakis Vlahakis.

According to Manjoro, young Vlahakis has been practicing bino-ryu for six years as he took up the sport of karate when he was six years of age.

And he is now set to earn his first full colours as a bino-ryu karateka when he receives his black belt from the style's Grand Master, S. Srinivasan, during his visit to this part of the world next month.

Meanwhile, Manjoro is inviting other karate styles' instructors to attend Kobudo (weapons training) sessions that will be conducted by S. Srinivasan during his stay in Zimbabwe.

"All instructors of different karate styles are invited; they only have to register in advance with us for them to be included in the programme for that one week.

"We are also inviting local businesspeople to attend a one-week self-defence course that will be conducted by S. Srinivasan and they also have to register in advance with us," Manjoro said.

S. Srinivasan -- a 10th dan black belt holder with his vast technical and organisational background in various martial arts for more than three decades -- is the founder of bino-ryu.

He became the Grand Master of bino-ryu by introducing the unique Indian karate style in 1987 before it got recognition in 1993.

Bino-ryu, which is being practiced by more than one million karate students all over the world, is considered to be one of the finest forms of self-defence since it incorporates the unique fighting methods of Indian warriors coupled with the invincible defence techniques of Chinese and Japanese martial arts.

Bino-ryu, thus, inculcates the latest fighting methods for practical usage while retaining the tradition and grace of ancient martial arts.