( CNN ) -- Varsha Vinod 's exceptional abilities are hard to spot at first . She 's an adorably cute 5-year-old girl from southern India , small , pretty with big brown eyes . To gain her black belt , Varsha had to learn up to 15 karate moves . When we meet for our interview , her hair is tied up in two pigtails , with bright hair clips and a glittering headband . She is as shy as most kids her age would be when confronted by a strange man and a television crew . Some child stars can be precocious but Varsha does n't act like one . In fact , it would have been impossible to imagine her as a karate black belt if it was n't for her white martial arts outfit and her actual black belt . Like many young girls she would love to be a dancer and she smiles when I tell her that we are doing the interview in a dance studio . It 's got varnished wooden floors and ceiling-high mirrors . The venue was chosen because it looks a bit like a dojo , or martial arts school . I 'm not sure Varsha understands what a dance studio is and it 's hard to discover her thoughts on many things . She only speaks a few words of English and , even when we use an interpreter , she has to be prompted by her father before whispering short , quiet responses to my questions . At first I was concerned her dad was feeding her the answers rather than helping her say what she really thinks . However , it soon becomes clear that this is a healthy father-daughter relationship instead of a case of `` pushy parents . '' Vishwas Vinod can be stern with his daughter but she clearly worships him , hanging on his every word and happy to follow his instructions . When the pair practice karate together their movements are surprisingly well synchronized despite the huge difference in size . Varsha 's father is her inspiration . He was India 's karate champion for four successive years from 1999 to 2002 . His daughter started watching him teach the sport and , at the age of 2 , she asked to try . Vinod insists it was Varsha 's idea not his . Initially , he only gave her some small training and stretching exercises but Dad soon realized that his daughter possessed what he describes as a God-given talent . Vinod says what Varsha has done in 3½ years takes most people eight years to learn . To gain her black belt , Varsha had to learn up to 15 katas . A kata is a sequence of complicated karate moves . Varsha can punch , kick and wield different weapons : the Chinese stick , which is almost as big as she is , and a nunchaku , two short sticks connected by a metal chain . There is no doubt that Varsha 's abilities are impressive . You only have to enter the phrase `` nunchaku accidents '' into YouTube to see how easily things can go wrong . However , she is no freak of nature . Her karate is a feat of memory and technique more than agility and power . To be frank , she could n't beat me up -- although I was obviously far too proud to find out by taking her on in a sparring session . Varsha trains for at least two hours every day but says she still has time for other games . As well as her dancing , she likes to play football and badminton . She tells me that her friends have all started taking up karate after seeing how good she has become . Unlike her friends , Varsha 's gift has given her the chance to see London . She was invited to England by a PR company to promote a new video game . Her trip appears to have been handled carefully , with as much time set aside for sightseeing as media work . The day after we filmed with Varsha she was due to go on the London Eye and was very excited about it . Varsha says she would like to continue her karate in the years ahead . She is a black belt first dan , or grade , and there are 10 grades in total . She is already a mini master but if she makes it to second dan she can start teaching -- just like her father .
She 's an adorably cute year - old girl from southern India , small and pretty . She is as shy as most girls her own age especially when being interviewed . To gain her black belt , she had to learn up to five techniques . She trains for at least two hours every day but has time for other games .