People

Gatka:
Blending Physical Skills With Spirituality

VIC RYCKAERT

Tajinder Kaur's slight frame won't intimidate many people, but this wiry young woman packs some deadly skills.

She practices gatka, the traditional Sikh martial art that blends sticks, swords, shields and spinning nets with spirituality.

"Our faith tells us to be saint-soldiers," said Tajinder, 23, a nursing student who lives in Franklin Township (Indiana, USA). "Playing gatka, it gives you a spiritual lifestyle as well as physical strength."

She recently competed in the first International gatka tournament held in Indiana, on Saturday, August 30, 2014, at the Gurdwara in Greenwood.

Gatka players wear, in addition to their hallmark turban, a costume historically worn by 18th century warriors, as they try to smack each other with wooden sticks during two-minute bouts. It is scored like fencing, with points awarded when a player hits an opponent on the body, head or legs.

"If you look at me, I'm like a really skinny girl but I want to show that women are strong," Tajinder said. "It's not about being skinny. It's about being fast."

Gatka, she said, takes stamina and concentration in addition to strength.

"You run out of breath so fast," she adds. "You have to move so quickly to block those attacks and be able to attack right back."

Gatka is steeped in the Sikh religion, blending physical skills with prayer and meditation. Tajinder's gatka teacher, Jungbir Singh, also is a granthi (church caretaker) at a gurdwara.

"We are blessed with the gatka martial art," Jungbir said, with Tajinder acting as an interpreter.

Jungbir, 42, also from Franklin, has been practicing gatka for about 30 years. He said Sikhs learn the skill for self-defense and work hard to avoid violence.

He's been teaching Tajinder Kaur and several other students for about a year, with most classes held in his home. She said she's studied, off and on, for about four years.

Gatka experts swing swords at dizzying speeds and spin net-like weapons called chakkars. In ancient wars, chakkars were made of metal, adorned with blades and fended off arrows and advancing soldiers. Today's chakkars are typically made of thin rope with weights at the ends.

In 2007, an estimated 2,000 Sikh families were living in metro Indianapolis.

There are not many opportunities to practice gatka in Indiana, but Jungbir hopes that changes. The tournament in Greenwood, he said, may inspire more young Hoosier Sikhs to study gatka and become more spiritual.

Saturday's tournament, called Yudh 2014, was the 12th annual gatka competition and the largest held outside of India. Winners split $10,000 in prize money. Past tournaments have been held in New Jersey, New York, Toronto, and San Jose.

"It's good to have an understanding of all religions," said Jasdev Singh, the tournament organizer who lives in Toronto.


[Courtesy: IndyStar. Edited for sikhchic.com]
September 2, 2014

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