Power punches are in; fear factor is out. Welcome to the new world order where girls are no longer willing to take things lying down. Instead, they troop down to the nearest patch of green to practise punches and kicks. Martial arts - the art of self-defence - is fast gaining ground in the state capital and other district towns. Girls are learning judo, karate, taekwondo and other martial art forms to lead life with confidence and dignity.

They are learning a chin punch to stun an assaulter, a temple punch to knock consciousness out of a molester and a back elbow punch to silence a guy acting funny in a bus. They are determined not to let things pass but teach a lesson that eve-teasers and molesters will remember forever. The martial arts classes are typically not competition-oriented. They focus on self-defence and traditional values of the art, training a person to deliver a kick or punch at the target with force, precision and speed.

"The physical application is not so much muscle power as it is breath control and reaction force," said second dan black belt Karate instructor Hari Om Kumar. His training academy is affiliated to the International Science Martial Arts Confederation. Pataliputra Sports Club founder Ashok Kumar, a fourth degree dan in Taekwondo and a first-class national refree says, "While girls are coming to learn martial arts, the need is to create more awareness about the art among women as they feel uncertain about learning taekwondo. My students are mostly schoolgirls. But once they finish school, few continue."

Pataliputra Sports Club currently has 17 girls, all from schools like Notre Dame Academy and St Karen's High School. The Martial Art Federation, founded by Sensei Zuber Ahmed, also has 10 girls among the 50 undergoing training at the institute. Gautam Kumar, state chief of All Bihar Seishitukai Shitoryu Karate Do Association, says, "Over the years, an increasing number of girls, many from rural areas, have taken up Karate as a means to self-defence."

Seishitukai, which has statewide branches, has 500 students. Half of them are girls. As the fee - ranging from Rs 150 to Rs 200 - is nominal, the classes attract girls from the not so well-to-do families as well. There are several other organizations that impart judo and karate training. Among them are the Renshican Shitoryu Karate Do Assocition near Tripolia Hospital, Shikokai Shitoryu Karate Do Association at Digha and Lee Academy at Boring Road.

Most of these organizations are associated with the All India Karate Do Federation, which in turn is affiliated to the Indian Olympic Association. Several girls-only schools in Patna have appointed martial arts instructors to teach students the art of self-defence in schools itself.

As karate instructor Ritesh says, "Girls can use martial arts in day-to-day life. Self-defence is nothing but a quick reflex to protect yourself. You don't need to be an expert to deliver the first blow before the attacker does. All you need is confidence and presence of mind. Besides empowering girls to tackle unpleasant situations, training in martial arts also helps to improve their physical fitness."

HRD principal secretary Anjani Kumar Singh says, "In almost all government middle schools, there is provision for imparting training in judo, karate and cycling under National Programme for Education of Girls at Elementary Level (NPEGEL)."

One of the first myth that is broken in these martial art classes is that women do not have the strength to protect themselves. "If you are mentally fit and believe in yourself, you can take care of most situations," said Ashok Kumar, a self-defence trainer.