Artistic pencak silat

North Kolkata Raja Das: When Raja Das isn't practicing his Pencak Silat skills, the 33-year-old helps his father deliver ice to local blood banks in Kolkata. His father has been a street hawker for decades, and Raja has been supporting him since childhood while also chasing his dream of establishing a reputation in the sport.

The West Bengal athlete has regularly secured medals at the national level over the years and on Tuesday, won one of the initial two gold medals at the Khelo India Beach Games 2026 at Ghoghla Beach, defeating the defending champion and local favourite, Prasanna Bendre.

Raja, a commerce graduate, was always fascinated by martial arts and found his passion in Pencak Silat, a full-body combat style that includes strikes, grappling, throws, and weapon handling.