Chennai Tai Chi Expert T V Ranga Rao Trains 38 DSP Recruits in Tamil Nadu

In Chennai, veteran martial arts practitioner T V Ranga Rao has been training 38 Deputy Superintendents of Police (DSPs) undergoing training at the police academy in Tamil Nadu, integrating Tai Chi principles with fitness, health, and self-defence techniques.

Rao, known as Sifu Ranga Rao in martial arts circles, has spent nearly four decades studying and teaching the discipline. His journey began after moving to Chennai from Chhattisgarh in 1984 to pursue engineering. While already practicing martial arts, he suffered from eosinophilia with dangerously low cell levels. His teacher's teacher, Veeran Vaughan from Malaysia, advised him to turn to physical exercise rather than medication, leading Rao to study Tai Chi and its therapeutic benefits.

Over the following decades, Rao expanded his training across multiple disciplines of the martial art. He learned the Chen style in 1985, followed by the 24-form Yang style and 35-form Wu style in 1989. He later acquired knowledge of the 42-form competition style in 2002 and film-style Tai Chi in 2003.

Beyond his training with police recruits, Rao has introduced Tai Chi into corporate workplaces across India since 1999. In office environments, he conducts short sessions focused on breathing, posture, weight transfer, and coordinated movements.

According to Rao, Tai Chi is structured around eight hand movements and five foot movements, with coordinated body weight playing an essential role in building muscle strength. He explains that the deliberate slowness of Tai Chi allows the body to understand movement mechanics, ultimately enabling greater speed and precision.