Thang Ta: A journey
(Through the history of Kangleipak)
from an ancient combat art to a popular modern sport
- Part 7 -

By Dr. HanjabamCha Barun *

(F.4) 1st Stepping stone of success:

Finally, having satisfied with the arguments & justifications given, for the first time in the history of Manipur, the first State Level sport Thang Ta competition (although many such competitions had been held before by many associations, including his; but were not in recognition by the sport department, Govt. of Manipur.) was organized at Yumnam Huidrom in the year 1988, under the banner of the Academy & the sport department, govt. of Manipur (for which a grant of Rs 3000/- was given by the govt.).

Since then many state levels have been organized successfully (21 up to 2010). With increasing popularity of Thang Ta sport nationally, Thang Ta Federation of India (TTFI) was established as a national apex body in 1993; under which banner, the first National Thang Ta Championship was organized in Manipur in the same year (at Yumnam Huidrom; from 21st to 25th Nov.1993- in which 12 States participated. Since then, up to 2010, 17 National Championships have been organized; with 27 State associations participating in the last one, & one National Federation Cup for National Team selection at Delhi 7-9 Jan. 2011).

Ojha Huidrom Premkumar igniting ThangTa movement in Chattisgarh, India

Due to the persistence hard work & dedication of the Academy & National body, Thang Ta sport was introduced for the first time, as demonstration game in the 5th National Games, held at Imphal, Manipur on 20th feb.1999 (in which, 10 State Associations participated).

(F.5) The Day when the half dream is realized – The day sweat turns nectar:

The latest scientific views; the emphasis on safety aspect, & the high efficiency as a martial art (including self defense, & health promotion), coupled with the hard work of the National Federation & Academy, 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.

This was really a historic moment, a first step towards the realization of the ultimate goal of international Olympic (inclusion of Thang Ta sport as one of the official medal games in the International Olympic); a day, each & every Manipuri should feel proud of; an emotional moment too for Ojha Premkumar (& his group)- because of whom, this was possible (this success was a tribute for his master, who had left this world for the heavenly abode in the year 1988, before witnessing the dream coming true of 1st State Sport Thang-Ta Championship, as recognized by the Govt. of Manipur.)- who in spite of all the adversities & obstacles (financially- sometimes the situation was so bad, he was even forced to mortgage his only piece of land; socially- sharp criticism from traditionalists; health & family issues etc), continued to fight & stand without retreat selflessly, for the future of the art & us, so that one day, with raised heads & much proudly we can tell the world, Thang Ta sport is a gift of our ancestors.

(F.6) No turning back – Doubling everything, set out to conquer the world:

Catalyzed by this event, every effort for the development & process of popularization was doubled. Many state governments (Sport & Youth welfare departments) began granting recognition (& hence all those benefits- financially & others- like admission to various Govt. courses/job etc under sport category/quota, in J&K etc) to Thang Ta sport (1st-Manipur govt.; 2nd- Jammu & Kashmir govt.; 3rd – Chhattisgarh govt. & so on). With increasing valuation of the sport Thang Ta medals & certificates, no wonder, Thang Ta sport becomes one of good & much sought after career option, in the world of martial arts, which was unknown few decades ago. There has also started initiation regarding the introduction of NIS level Coaching programmes, & research courses at Universities in Thang Ta martial art & sport.

The fame of Thang Ta sport (like a burning ember piercing the dark covering of even thick cloths) also started spreading outside India. [Already many foreign countries have seen the amazing performances given by many performing artists of Thang Ta in various cultural functions etc. Even some of them have also tasted few preliminary lessons by some of traditional practitioners living outside India etc. This has helped much in the spread of Sport Thang Ta as well].

Starting with Bangladesh (in 2003), the sport Thang Ta movement has already spread to many countries - Burma (Myanmar), Nepal, Bhutan, Sri-Lanka, Afghanistan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, China, Canada, Japan, USA etc, the number increasing day by day. The World Thang Ta Council (WTTC)/World Thang Ta 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, a first of its kind in the history of Thang Ta & Kangleipak.

With such a fast pace of development of Thang Ta, its immediate acceptability & immense popularity both at home & internationally, if sufficient support from the government (Thang Ta should be declared the national/state sport, & accordingly financial & other needs should be provided sufficiently-for better promotion, preservation & popularization of Thang Ta) is there, 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.

Section: G

(G.1) Think bank – Traditional vs Sport concept:

As, in case of any new major initiative in the history of mankind [the great scientist Galileo was put behind bars because of his theory of the earth revolving around the Sun!],& as with many martial arts, the initial phase of Sport Thang Ta movement didn't go smoothly & wasn't welcomed by all. Most traditionalists felt the sacred ancient art form being threatened; the purity might get diluted by this new sport aspect.

The traditional way (as in ancient times) is the learning & teaching the art as a way of life, also as a means of self-defense & survival (protecting one's life at all cost & to incapacitate opponents as quickly as possible in battlefields), with emphasis on the expressive (demonstrative) component as well. However, emphasis on competitive sparring began gradually decreasing (specially after series of famed stage shows- people loving them-earning living out of them easily, naturally neglecting the sparing component – & unlike in ancient times, there was no danger/threat of going to battles or life depended upon the skill of Thang Ta), & if there, mostly choreographed/pre-planned, as a part of performance.

{Also, one can argue, if a technique is designed to be lethal, how it can be practised as such on (a) partner(s), in absence of much reliable protective measures those days/in a controlled way – even, inspite of which, injury can't be ruled out, & the output of taking such risk is less than that of expressive component (people always love to see death defying demonstrations + there was no formalized/govt. recognized competitions & the benefits associated, as to other recognized martial sports)

So, to develop martial skills (fighting), limited methods (in absence of free sparring practice) remain (besides, what learnt in the actual battle, if survived) – through practice of forms/patterns (pre-planned martial movements), cooperative/controlled sparring training with (a) partner(s), & practice on non-human things – breaking/cutting practice, special training devices, (on animals, in ancient times, even on prisoners of war, as by some martial races of the word) etc.}

On the other hand, the sportive training of martial arts mostly concentrates on non-cooperative/free-sparring practice. The main aim is to win the match any how (& hence, more focusing on the scoring techniques, even if non realistic/non-effective in real life situation: as an example, one can see modern WTF Taekwondoins using 90% foot techniques which is more scoring, neglecting the upper limb techniques).Also, there are so many restrictions or rules (for safety purpose), & other measures {mats, gloves, chest guards, padding etc - many lethal & dangerous or useless (as per scoring is concerned in competitions) techniques are forbidden, & hence neglected}.

Many new innovations or modifications are added subsequently with time, so as to suit the players & officials etc. This fact is the greatest worry for the traditionalists who feel, the very originality of the art might thus one day be even lost. However, as for sportive training, it greatly improves {may be even better than those- not all- traditionalists ( with restricted training, only towards expressive component) who generally have little experience against non-cooperative opponents; & hence often unfamiliar with the feel of being stuck/taken down suddenly/unexpectedly} a fighter's abilities (even if against a single opponent mostly), by approximating a real fight situation (although in a restricted format), allowing the fighter to test the skills without the fear of getting hurt mortally. For this a sport person, the free sparring becomes an experimenting laboratory for applying the learnt techniques, & discovering, through trial & error, which suit best, according to oneself or the situation, & how to execute them.

For most weapon (also unarmed) martial arts, the modern sport forms are like an evolution for surviving the transition into modern times {as these traditional weapons no longer occupy the same place which they used to be, in modern warfare in the view of advanced weapons + for civilian, lots of laws are there concerning them– open handling may lend someone in jail or so, the practitioner may be seen with suspicion/as trouble maker & a potential threat in the eyes of law, specially in the present society with terrorism everywhere. So, the art can be practiced (being a respectable & law abiding citizen) as a part of cultural activity (in the same way as with other arts like traditional dance forms etc), remembering, preserving & enriching the way of our forefathers, or as a more popular in the form of a recognized sport}

So, a combined approach should better be done regarding the training of the martial arts. In sport form, in addition to the sparring competitions (including the unarmed part: Sharit-Sharak, with elements of Mukna), much more emphasis should also be given to the competitions of forms/patterns {including the performing components whose demonstrations, our traditionalists have been giving since olden days}; & on a common (unified), sound & systematic grading system as well as a training curriculum (respecting all the styles of Thang Ta; which not only will produce skilled martial artists & players, but also inculcate in them - our rich tradition, our culture, our history, our origin, the sacrifices made by our ancestors, & their greatness- as a potent bonding & unification factor-we as a one, for our motherland).

[the forms competition should include: fixed forms -single/dual/group-with/without weapon(s) (as decided by appointed & approved technical committees, taking into consideration all the major styles/forms of Thang Ta); & free/individualized forms {including various choreographed fights etc: created by the player(s) with the help of teachers/coaches etc}-single/dual/group-with/without weapon(s)].

(G.2) Think bank – Unification & cooperation, need of the hour:

With so many different systems of practice & teaching of Thang Ta, there arises a need (one of the most important thing) for standardization (especially for forms/patterns, teaching curriculum & grading system etc) & unification. There were some initiations in the past, but proved not so successful.

Regarding this, we may learn many things from China - after creation (post 1949?) of standardized modern Wushu (from many parent traditional Chinese martial arts), the government is trying everything for its promotion & popularization, & hence for inclusion in the international Olympic.

[As we all know, China has a long tradition of martial arts, with many hundreds of different styles. However, traditional martial arts suffered a lot also in the long history of China. The Qing dynasty/Manchu dynasty (1644-1912?), (the last great dynasty of China - the rulers belong to Manchu ethnic group, originally Tungusic speaking people from Manchuria, northeastern China) banned martial art (& hence the revolutionary movements) among the majority Han Chinese (the word meaning ~Milky way in ancient Chinese, is from Han Dynasty,206BC-220AD, the golden age in the Chinese history) so as to prevent them from rebelling.

{However, the dynasty was put to an end {when the young emperor, Hsuan T'ung (1906-67, r.1908-12) resigned on 12 Feb.1912?} by the revolution of 1911-1912 (Xinhai/ Hsinhai revolution, due to the ideology & as influenced by Sun Yat-sen,1866-1925 –father of Chinese republican revolution– although his earlier uprisings failed due to lack of masses support), which established the Repulic of China, but unfortunately failed & the instability of the society was evident- literally thrown into chaos, until the establishment of the People's Republic of China on 1st Oct.1949 by the Chinese Communist Party under Mao Tse-tung (1893-1976, took control of it in 1935)}.

The turmoil of Japanese invasion- Taiwan & surrounding Islands were occupied in 1894, Manchuria in 1931, & in 1937 they took control of the Marco Polo Bridge near Beijing starting a full scale invasion of China. Only in 1945, the Japanese surrendered (after the twin atomic assaults by USA) & were driven out of China.

The pre & post 1949 hardship - Civil war (1927-37,41-45/46,46-50-91-?) between Kuomintang of China/Nationalist party (founded in 1912, by Sun Yat-sen, 1887-1975, & Song Jiaoren, 1882-1913; by 1928, led by Chiang-Kai-shek, 1887-1975, much part of China was under it till the retreat to Taiwan in 1949) & Chinese Communist Party/Zhongguo Gongchangdang (founded in 1921 by Chen Duxiu,1879-1942,& Li Dazhao,1888-1927), the military campaigns for eradication of Nationalists & loyal to them (with ban on traditional martial art practised by them).

The great leap famine can't be missed out here, which was one of the most sever famines in human history, killing ~20-40 millions {1958?-1962?, mainly due to the result of disastrous socio-economic policies of the great leap forward (1958-1960), aggravated by unfavorable weather/natural disaster + loss of Soviet aid. In 1958, the great leap forward was initiated by Mao to collectivize agriculture & bring about a socialist economic system. As a result, the ample supply of inexpensive labor (farmers) was mobilized to produce steel (mostly neglecting agricultural practice in the fast growing society), which is the most closely associated commodity with industrialization- however the steels so produced (by mostly illiterate, ill trained cheap labor) were inefficient, & mostly were not usable}.

Besides, Mao launched the Cultural Revolution of China (1969-1976-78?) to purge capitalist thought & advanced socialism, often with violence – lots of people were persecuted {reports were there of extreme brutalism also in the form of even cannibalization of so called 'enemies of the people' (southern province of Guangxi)}. Traditional arts/activities/ideas including martial arts were criticized, considering a remnant of feudal culture, unscientific & a hindrance to personal development- hence, were subjected to a radical transformation aligned to Maoist revolutionary doctrine; religions were opposed, much economic activity was halted, so as the education system, historical sites/artifacts/archives etc suffered devastating damage.

However, the revival of traditional Chinese martial arts began gradually & their increasing access to general public. Martial art was increasingly felt as a means to promote national pride, & for building a strong nation. Chinese National Amateur Athletic Federation (non-govt.) was set up in 1924 in Nanjing to unify China's sports competitions. For the first time under the Chinese govt. (Nationalist, Education Ministry), a national Physical Education & Sports Committee was set up in 1927 to supervise exercise throughout the country.

The Central Guoshu Academy (the term 'Kuoshu/Guoshu', meaning 'the art of the nation/national technique' was encouraged to be used by the Republic of China, rather than the term 'Kungfu/Gongfu') was established in 1928 {earlier name, Martial Arts Research Institute, one of founder fathers, former warlord Zhang Zhijiang (or Paul,1882-1966) became the director. But due to lack of funding, it was closed in 1948} by Nationalist govt. in Nanjing {worked in the same line as later with Chin Woo Athletic Association, co-founded in 1910? (Shanghai) by Huo Yanjia (1868-1910?), the famous Chinese martial artist –a master of Mizongyi martial art- in the modern history, on whose life, 2006 movie Fearless- starring Jet Li, directed by Ronny Yu- was centered on} to preserve & promote a systematic approach for training in Chinese martial arts. For the 1st time, practitioners of all the different styles sat down, & shared knowledge together.

To promote exercise (& physical activity in which scientific sports method were applied), even a law of sports for citizens was issued on 16th April 1929 by the govt.(Nationalist). This concept of modernization & scientific methods application + increasing dominance of mainstream physical culture of China by western sports in 1920's/1930's, troubled traditional Martial arts practice much. Debate for & against it (traditional martial arts vs modern sports - which one suited China most) continued for a long time (~5years till 1937?). National Conference of Physical Education & Sports (opened in Nanjing) concluded that traditional Martial arts should be reformed by modern science.

In 1933, National Martial Arts Physical Culture School was established so as to include Martial arts in the physical education curriculum of public schools. Guoshu was included in the official competition at the 6th National Games (Shanghai, 1935). A group of Chinese martial artists demonstrated their art (martial arts demonstrations, also of jianzi & feicha) for the first time at the 11th Summer Olympic Games in Berlin, Germany, in the year 1936 (opened by Adolf Hitler,1889-1945,then Chancellor,1933-1945,of Germany).

After 2nd world war (~1937/39?-1945), martial art training was established at the National Athletics .In 1953, an All China Traditional Sports Festival was held in Tianjin so as to review the traditional sports of both Han & various minorities Chinese. The govt. soon adopted standardized, common, demonstration oriented approach to Martial arts (disassociated from self-defense aspects/combat training & application, & family lineages of traditional martial arts - also to discourage possible unification of martial artists against itself).{earlier, Nationalists unsuccessful tried to test many martial art styles under standardized rule but at the same time maintaining their individual characteristics}

In 1957,after a 3years of re-organizing popular martial arts, a new style of martial arts competition, with scoring point on set-performance, was installed as the official format, called competition wushu, so as to nationalize the practice of traditional martial arts. In 1958, the govt. established the All-China Wushu Association, as an apex body to regulate martial arts training. Common standardized forms (including common teaching curriculum, & grading system) were created for most of the major traditional arts by the Chinese state commission for physical culture & sports (for example, a combined, standardized form for Tai chi chuan was created as a result of a conference by the National Athletic Committee of China in late 1950's in which masters of all the systems of Tai chi chuan were brought together to discuss the uniqueness & similarities of the various styles)

Wushu was introduced to both at school & university level. A 'Martial arts investigation team' was organized by the govt. to search for surviving old traditional masters (many of whom were either killed or had fled during the Chinese cultural revolution; & the remaining were reluctant in sharing heir treasure of martial arts knowledge), & recorded their knowledge for preservation.

However, facing much criticism (equating with martial dance or Chinese style gymnastics; till 1979,Martial arts were only allowed for performance purposes – similar to opera/propaganda team performances), & proving unsatisfactory specially after 1979 when the world outside started mingling, the govt. included a self defense, free fighting component – Sanshou(~free hand)/Sanda(~free fighting).

{It was based on traditional Martial arts tournaments on Lei Tai / raised fighting platform without railing – appeared first in the Song dynasty, 960-1279,with its ancient variation traceable to Qin dynasty, 221-206BC? – also a style name Xiang Bo, similar to Sanda, is considered to have been practiced from 600s BC. In 1928, Central Guoshu Institute held lei tai tournaments, however the oct. tournament was halted due to serious injuries to many (two master were killed) & possibility of lot more masters getting killed/their precious knowledge might get lost. In Jan.1982, first official Sanshou rules were drafted, & in Nov., the first Sanshou competition was organized (The Koumuntang originally used it at the first modern military academy in Whamppoa in 1920's).}

The State Commission for Physical Culture & Sports created a special task force to reevaluate the teaching & practice of wushu in 1979. The Chinese National Research Institute of Wushu was established in 1986 for the research & administration of wushu activities. With an attempt to partial de-politicize organized sports (the closing of state sports commission or the central sports authority, in 1998), the govt. moved the sport policies towards a more market-driven approach, promoting both the traditional style & modern wushu.

The establishment of the International Wushu Federation in 1990, was an important landmark; which holds the world wushu championships (since 1991, the first one, in Beijing, China). Their seriousness for the Olympic dream is obvious, IOC (International Olympic Committee) even allowed them for '2008 Beijing Olympic Games Wushu Tournament' during the 2008 Olympic at Beijing (although wushu was neither one of the 28 official Olympic medal games, nor was a demonstration game, but very soon it may be).]

(G.3) Think bank – Realizing one's potential & learning from oneself:

Thang Ta has tremendous potentials as a sport, & if we only concentrate on stage shows, then one day even if we want, we might not get even a place to stand in the sport arena, because of many cheap duplicates & imitations of Thang Ta- with so many name & fame seeking opportunists all around us- just because of our negligence (already there exists one such cheap copy, claiming to be an indigenous martial art/sport, even with national & many state associations- a serious threat & a single major hindrance in the realization of our dream).

Just look around, many traditional Indian martial arts (whose working area was once mostly limited to few demonstrations in festivals or religious activities) have already started entering the world of sports (many are also enjoying as popular sport games), leaving the confinement of the four walls of their traditional 'Akharas'.

The nation has just seen the rise of Bodo martial art, & its grand introduction in the international combat (martial) sport community- how serious are the Bodo people, especially the govt., & leaders for popularizing their art- it feels much pain & discontent looking back to our own situation- our govt. & leaders should learn from them.

The Sikhs have already taken a step ahead. The international Gatka Federation (IGF) was established in 1982, & formalized in the year 1987 (based in Berlin). Another apex international body, the International Gatka Organization (IGO) has been working constantly in this field since the early 1990's, & on 18th March 2006, a Gatka tournament was held in Oldbury (at Gurudwara Amrit Parchar Dharmik Diwan), England. National (Gatka Federation of India, GFI) & many state gatka associations (like Punjab Gatka Association, PGA) are trying hard for the game to be recognized by IOA & by Sports Ministry (also for inclusion in the sports calendars of Association of Indian Universities, AIU & School Games Federation of India, SGFI)

[Punjab Olympic Association has given recognization to PGA, & the game has also been incorporated into schools & universities sports calendars of the state by its Education Department]

The memory of the first Asian Silambam Championship is still afresh in the minds of all Indian martial artists, which was held successfully at Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu, recently (03-06 Dec. 2009), with 9 participating countries.

[Silambam (much like the southern style of Kalaripayattu of Kerala) is an ancient martial art style originated in the southern part of Indian peninsula (the state of Tamil Nadu). Although a complete martial art {weapon art (staff; knife- kathi; swords- vaal; even deer horn- maduru etc), unarmed art (kuttu varisai- footworks: kaaladi; locks & counter locks: pottu thirappu etc; striking & blocking: kolluvuthal etc), including the pressure/ vital point art- varma kalai, & meditation etc (thapa)},when one refers to sport Silambam, a scene of stick/ staff fighting / fencing come in front of our eyes (as the main weapon used in the art is the staff; the very word 'Silambam' refers to the bamboo/ wooden staff used)- a very popular & govt. recognized sport in Malaysia today- thanks to the Tamil immigrants there, who have set an example for all of us.

It has a long history, & as per a legend, its genesis is credited (however, some relate the art to the lord Muruga himself) to the great sage, Agastya (he is also considered the first practitioner of southern style Kalarippayattu by many living gurus of the art. He composed the famous, 'Agasthyar Kampu Soothram', the ancient text - describing various aspects of the art).

The efficacy of the art was well known & used by the famous kings of south India- the Chola (2nd century BC? -2nd century AD?, 9th century? -13th century?), the Chera (3rd century BC? - 3rd century AD?, 9th century? - 12th century?), the Pandya (? -550/5th century BC? -? -6th century? - 14th century?) etc, & by the king Veerapandiya Kattabomman & his soldiers (1760-1790-1799) against the British (he opposed the taxation right of the company & revolted against the British~6decades before 1857 first Indian war of Independence, but was caught & hanged in 1799). The staff fencing game of the art can be traced as early as 1st -2nd century A.D.?(there are references of the sale of Silambam staff, among various other weapons, to foreign traders in the ancient Tamil literature, Silappadikkaram, 2nd ?century A.D)

Today Silambam sport is becoming very popular as a result of many associations - national (All India Silambam Federation) & International - working persistently for the popularization of the art]

(G.4) The Conclusion:

Thang Ta has been cradle of our race, the very reason for our existence today. We are very fortunate that our ancestors have given such a priceless gift to us, & it is the duty of all of us to preserve & promote it; & through it, let each & every corner of the world, know the greatness & legends of them, who had protected our motherland, & us using the Thang Ta. Now the time has come for us to repay them & our motherland, even if a little bit, using the same thing- the Thang Ta.

Instead of negatively criticizing & fighting among us, lets unite as one, as sons of the Lord Sannamahi & Ipu Athoupa Pakhangpa , for the common goal, the major battle ahead- the Olympic dream; giving equal emphasis to the sport aspect as well, like the performing art component, as both being opposite sides of the same coin, the two climbing steps towards success - essential & inevitable for the overall progress & development of not only Thang Ta & our culture, but also our motherland, & we, the undivided race, as a one.

The day will soon come when our youths will earn name & fame, in international & Olympic arena, not only for themselves, but more importantly, for the motherland, as players of Thang Ta, the very tradition of our great forefathers.

Concluded....

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* Dr. HanjabamCha Barun (C.G. Pradesh Thang-Ta Association, Pt.J.N.M.Medical College, Raipur (C.G.)) contributes regularly to e-pao.net. The writer can be reached at dr(dot)barun(dot)hanjabam(at)gmail(dot)com
This article was webcasted on June 21, 2010 and updated on July 09 2010 and later updated on March 15 2011.

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