हिंदी
Thang-Ta originated in Manipur, was banned by the British and revived by the spirit of the people
Started as a sport in 1986, Thang-Ta was included in Khelo India Youth Games for the first time
Chandigarh, June 6 – The art which was started by kings in Manipur about 400 years ago has reached Khelo India Youth Games today. Not only Manipur but 22 teams from all over the country are participating in this game. The name of this art is Thang-Ta. Thang means sword and Ta means spear. This art played with sword and spear was banned by the British. The local people of Manipur have not only revived this art with their efforts but have also taken it to Khelo India.
Sh. H. Prem Kumar Singh of the Thang-Ta Federation of India, who gave this art the form of a sport, says that he felt that when martial arts could make its place as a sport by coming from abroad, then why not Thang-Ta of Manipur? With this thought in mind, he decided to bring Thang-Ta into the form of a game. The first challenge was its rules. After this, what could be used instead of sword and spear? In such a situation, Sh. H. Prem Kumar gave stick instead of sword and used a shield. The stick was made like a sword. Gradually they started organizing Thang-Ta in Manipur.
More and more publicity was done for the competitions of Thang-Ta conducted in every district
Sh. H. Prem Kumar says that more and more competitions were organized to take Thang-Ta to the national and international level. He traveled all over the country with his team and propagated the rules and regulations related to this game. In 1990, a competition for the states of North East was organized in Imphal. This was followed by the National Championship in 1993. Then every year events were organized at different places. He also organized national championships in Jammu and Kashmir. Apart from this, he also went outside the country and promoted the game abroad. The first World Championship was held in 2011, in which 6 countries took part.
Presentation was given in 2020 Khelo India, after which Government of India gave permission
To include Thang-Ta in Khelo India, Thang-Ta Federation of India gave a presentation in the Khelo India competition held in Guwahati in 2020. After this the Government of India included this art in Khelo India Youth Games. In this year’s Khelo India, 22 teams and 140 players have arrived to play Thang-Ta.
Haryana wins 4 medals in Thang-Ta
Haryana has also won four medals in Thang-Ta. The state won one bronze and one silver medal in the Under-18 men’s competition. Similarly, Haryana has won two silver medals in the Under-18 women’s competition.
