Gatka Martial Art | 29 Jan 2020
Key Points
- Gatka is a traditional martial art form associated with the Sikh gurus.
- It imbibes sword and sticks fighting skills and self-control.
- Gatka is believed to have originated when the 6th Sikh Guru Hargobind adopted ‘Kirpan’ for self-defence during the Mughal era.
- A style of stick fighting between two or more practitioners, Gatka is a toned-down version of the deadlier Shastar Vidya. The sharp swords of Shastar Vidya have been replaced by wooden sticks (soti) and shields (farri) in Gatka.
- It is considered as a battle technique.
- 10th Guru Gobind Singh made it compulsory for everyone to use the weapons for self-defence.
- It was earlier confined to gurudwaras, nagar kirtans and akharas, but now it finds presence in the sports category after the formation of the Gatka Federation of India (GFI) in 2008.
- Today, it is used to showcase self-defence and fighting skills and is open to people of all faiths and communities.
Source: TH