Thang Ta (A brief information)
- The rise of modern combat sports form -

By Dr.HanjabamCha Barun *

Thang Ta is the popular, a common name, given to 'Huyen Langlon', the indigenous Martial art system of the Meetei race, major inhabitants of the valley of Kangleipak, the present Manipur state, Northeast India - 'Thang' means sword, & 'Ta' means spear, as these are the main weapons used. To untrained eyes, it may seem to share many resemblances to other styles of Indian martial arts - the ancient Shastra Vidya & Vajramusthti; Kalaripayat of Kerala; Gatka of Sikhs, Silambam of Tamils; the art forms still practised in many Akharas all over India – but one should know that it's very much distinct & different from the rest, proud to be unique & specific in its own, from the very beginning of its existence itself.

Thang Ta is a complete martial art, complete in the sense that it has both the external (physical & health) & internal (meditation, concentration, self cultivation, & awareness of spirit & mind) components, including spiritual & ritualistic aspects, the practice of which not only keeps us healthy & helps in self-defense, but also makes us aware of our rich cultural heritage & the great heroism of our forefathers.

Origin of Thang Ta lies in the very origin of the Meetei Race & the history of Kangleipak itself. Although the written records of Thang Ta is relatively earlier, but some ancient form of Thang Ta, must have been practiced during or even before the reign of the 1st Monarch of Kangleipak Kingdom, Konchin Tukthapa Ipu Athouba Pakhangba around (+>)2000 BC.

Thang Ta has been used by the Meeteis since thousands of years to defend their Kingdom against many foreign invaders (Chinese, Burmese etc.) & lastly the British in the Khongjom & Anglo-Manipuri war of 1891. (Only few Meetei Thang Ta warriors under the great Paona Brajabasi, with a meager supply of arms, fought bravely against the much powerful & larger British Army. Paona was said to have cut even the British Bombs with his sword in the air before they exploded.) .

Due to the geographical proximity, Thang Ta contributed to the development of martial arts of neighboring Kingdoms of Kangleipak - like Thaing martial system (Banshay & Bando etc) of Burma (Myanmar), and possibly, even if not so significantly, Krabi-Krabong (the mother art of Muay Thai or Thai Boxing) of Thailand etc., even to Chinese- there is story/legend of many Chinese coming to Manipur to learn Thang Ta, after the great Meetei King, Meidingu Mungyamba,(1562-1597) defeated the Chinese martial arts expert (by the name: Moydana or Mayadana) sent to challenge him by a Chinese king/chief (with the name 'Piyango', as known to Meeteis).

After the initial ban of Thang Ta by the British govt. (before~1930), the revival of the art began gradually near & after the Independence. Since then, Thang Ta masters have been giving many demonstrations as a performing art on stage in various festivals & cultural functions- such death defying & excellent, with sparks flying out all over form the clashing swords & spears, are the demonstrations that Thang Ta is becoming popular immensely, both nationally & internationally.

Although the sport aspect of Thang Ta, as a means to sharpen the actual battle field skills (Yanna Thang: sword fighting etc), or for just comparing martial skills/techniques using Cheibi (a cane stick covered with leather, instead of sword) etc- with or without Chungoi, or buckler/shield, was already there since very ancient times, & as an integral component of the curriculum of traditional teaching & practice of Thang Ta. But one group under a Thang Ta master, with modern & revolutionary ideas, much ahead of their time, not only dreamed of Thang Ta as an official Olympic medal event, but also constantly working for its realization.

They tried to standardize, systematize & popularize the sport aspect of the ancient art, thereby trying to present, as per the need of the present society, to international sport arena, & hence ultimately up to the level of Olympic status. His name is Ojha Huidrom Premkumar Singh. Born in a lower middle class family, to Shrimati H. (ongbi) Shakmacha Devi, & (late) Huidrom Pashot Singh on 30th Sept.1959, he was the direct, first generation disciple of the great Thang Ta master, Ojha Rajkumar Sanahal

[Ojha R.K.Sanahal was one of the greatest Thang Ta masters of all time- he was the one who did the famous blocking of sword attacks with his bare hand as a part of the Thang Ta demonstration organized by Gandhiwadis, in one of the Conference of Indian National Congress in Guwahati, Assam (around 1930's).He was also the one who established, 'The Meetei Huyen Langlon Thang Ta Academy', in 4th Nov.1934.(which is the epicenter & international Head Quarter of sport Thang Ta movement, & hence he is remembered & respected as the 'Sintakpurel', the 1st Grandmaster. Now, Ojha Premkumar is the Head of the Academy)]

Ojha Premkumar & his group popularized & promoted Thang Ta, specially the sport aspect (hence considered as the present Grandmaster) in different parts of India, & also to other countries. Even up to now, no one has forgotten the amazing demonstration (sword vs spear fight) given by him& his group in the 'Indian Martial art Seminar' organized by the Karate Sensai, Mr. Moses Tilak, at Chennai, in 1980.

So deeply impressed by his mastery of the art, was one of the Kalaripayat guru, Shri Balan Gurukal (from Mepiel Village, Calicut) that he requested the Ojha to teach Thang Ta to his son, & subsequently sent his son to Manipur, around 1985. As per the permission given by his guru to teach the secret art to non- Meeteis (Thang Ta was a secret art of Meetei -outsiders were generally not given access), he started spreading the art, starting with Assam, & now to almost all Indian States.

In the year 1987, the first State Level Thang Ta sport competition was organized by the Academy, for the first time in the history of Thang Ta, at Yumnam Huidrom, Imphal. With increasing popularity of Thang Ta nationally, Thang Ta Federation of India (TTFI) was established in 1993, & in the same year, the 1st National Thang Ta Championship was organized in Manipur, with 12 states participating. Since then the Federation has organized 17 national Championships up to 2010, in the last one, 27 State Associations participated; including one national federation cup championship at Delhi on 7-9Jan.2011, for selecting team to represent India in the 1st International Championship.

Also Thang Ta was, for the first time, introduced as a demonstration game in the 5th National Games, held at Imphal, Manipur on 20th Feb.1999. The latest scientific views; the emphasis on safety aspect, & the high efficiency as a martial art, coupled with the hard work of the national federation, make Thang Ta, a very popular sport; such was the popularity that Indian Olympic Association in its Annual General Body Meeting held on 20th dec.2006 , gave recognition to the Thang Ta Federation of India.

Besides many Indian state govts. also started granting recognition to Thang Ta sport- 1st Manipur Sate Govt.,2nd Jammu & Kashmir state govt.;3rd –Chhattisgarh state govt. & so on. There has also started initiation regarding the introduction of NIS level Coaching programmes, & research courses at Universities in Thang Ta martial art.

The fame of the Thang Ta sport also started spreading outside India. Starting with Bangladesh (in 2003) Thang Ta sport movement has already spread to many countries- Burma (Myanmar), Nepal , Bhutan, Shri-Lanka, Afghanistan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, China, Canada, Japan, USA etc, the number increasing day by day. The World Thang Ta Council (WTTC)/Federation (WTTF) was established under the Chairmanship of Ojha Premkumar, as an international apex body, with Meetei Huyen Langlon Thang Ta Academy being the international Headquarter.

As its first maiden step, much work & preparation are being done for the 1st ever International/World Thang Ta Championship to be held at Khuman Lampak Indoor Stadium in Imphal, Manipur, from 11 to 14 March 2011, in which about 15 countries - Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Canada, Malaysia, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan & amongst others - are expected to send participants.

With such a fast pace of development of Thang Ta, its immediate acceptability & immense popularity both at home & internationally, it is safe to predict that the day will soon come when the Thang Ta is included as one of the official medal games at International Olympic; & our youths will earn name & fame not only for themselves, but more importantly for the Mother country as a player of Thang Ta, the indigenous martial art of our own country.