World
UAE President Offers Jiu‑Jitsu Lessons to Heroic flydubai Pilot
During an award ceremony in Abu Dhabi, UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan jokingly offered to teach jiu‑jitsu to flydubai pilot Captain Smit Machchhar, who was honored for his courageous actions. The president embraced the pilot and said, “When you heal, I want to have a session with you to train you how to fight,” noting the UAE’s prominence in the martial art. Machchhar laughed and replied that it would be his “biggest honour.” For the first time, his head injuries—axe wounds, surgical stitches, a fractured skull with bone fragments pushed inward toward the brain, stab wounds, serious injuries to his hands and limbs, and wounds to his chest and upper abdomen—were visible during the interaction. The pilot had made an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, on September 30, and was rushed for several hours of surgery to reconstruct his skull. After the initial procedures, he was transferred to a specialised medical facility in Abu Dhabi for advanced neurological monitoring and post‑trauma treatment. Jiu‑jitsu is a martial art that focuses on grappling, controlling an opponent, and using joint locks and chokeholds to make them surrender. It is often called the “gentle art” because it emphasizes technique, leverage, balance and timing rather than striking. The art originated in Japan, where it developed as a form of unarmed combat. Brazilian Jiu‑Jitsu later emerged after Japanese martial arts expert Mitsuyo Maeda travelled to Brazil in the early 20th century. Brazilian Jiu‑Jitsu places greater emphasis on ground fighting, positional control and submission techniques and has become popular worldwide through martial arts competitions and mixed‑martial‑arts events. The Ju‑Jitsu International Federation recognises different schools and styles of the martial art, including traditional Japanese jujutsu and Brazilian Jiu‑Jitsu. The sport involves takedowns, joint locks, chokeholds, guard positions, escapes and sweeps, with competitors aiming to secure a submission or earn points for actions such as takedowns and positional control. The belt system in Brazilian Jiu‑Jitsu for adults progresses from white to black belt. The article also includes a biographical profile of journalist Garvit Bhirani, who is a Deputy Chief Content Producer at LiveMint and has six years of experience in journalism.