Gatka improves physical, mental, and spiritual health, know its meaning, history, about the Sikh martial art game and its inclusion in the Khelo India Youth Games 2021
It was once classified a declining art by UNESCO and is now in its comeback phase.
Gatka, an ancient martial art with a long history in Sikh culture, is performed using wooden sticks known as ‘Khutka.’
Gatka Punjab Martial Art Game Meaning Explained, Rules, Format, Points Scoring, Khelo India Youth Games 2022
It is a kind of stick fighting in which wooden sticks are used to resemble swords. The Punjabi name, gatka, relates to the wooden stick used, and this phrase may be a derivation of a Sanskrit word, gada, which means “mace.”
The Gatka stick is constructed of wood and is typically 3–3.5 feet (91–107 cm) long with a thickness of around 12 inches (13 mm). It has a fitting leather hilt that measures 6–7 inches (15–18 cm) and is frequently embellished with Punjabi-style multi-coloured threads.
A shield, called locally phari, is also utilised in the sport. It is constructed of dry leather and is spherical, measuring 9 by 9 inches (23 cm). It is packed with cotton or dry grass to protect the player’s hand in the event of a full-contact strike by an opponent.
Gatka began in Punjab in the 15th century, although many of the Gatka forms practised now in the west are Europeanized variants of Shastar Vidya, the original Sikh martial art.
There was a renaissance in the late twentieth century, with an International Gatka Federation created in 1982 and institutionalised in 1987, and gatka is now popular as a sport or sword dance performance art and is frequently displayed during Sikh festivals.
History of Gatka Revival
The Sikh gurus imparted Gatka’s ideas and tactics. It has been passed down via an uninterrupted tradition of ustads (masters) and is taught in various akharas (arenas) worldwide. Gatka was used in the Sikh wars and has been extensively battle-tested.
It stems from the urge to safeguard dharma (goodness), but it is also founded on the union of the soul and the body (Miri Piri). As a result, it is often regarded as both a spiritual and a physical exercise.
The art was outlawed by the new British authorities of India in the mid-nineteenth century, following the Second Anglo-Sikh War. During the 1857 Indian Rebellion, the Sikhs aided the British in suppressing the rebellion.
As a result of this aid, combat methods were reduced, but the Punjabi martial arts that resurfaced after 1857 had evolved dramatically. The new approach used sword-fighting tactics on a wooden training stick. It was called gatka for its primary weapon. In the 1860s, the British Indian Army primarily employed gatka to learn hand-to-hand fighting.
The Government of India’s Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs has included Gatka, along with three other indigenous games, namely Kalaripayattu, Thang-Ta, and Mallakhamba, in the scheduled Khelo India Youth Games 2021, which would be hosted in Haryana. This is an Indian national sporting event.
Defendu’s Influence
Captain William E. Fairbairn and Captain Eric Anthony Sykes developed the Defendu system, which incorporated techniques from Gatka, jujutsu, Chinese martial arts, and “gutter fighting.” At the Commando Basic Training Centre in Achnacarry, Scotland, this strategy was employed to teach men close-combat skills.
Rules and Regulation
A Gatka player, also known as a Gatkabaaz, is someone who participates in Gatka tournaments voluntarily for the sake of sports, self-defence, and the physical, mental, and social benefits he obtains from the game. The Federations have legally and officially created the mandated complete International Rules for Gatka game in collaboration with and under the able direction and assistance of well-known Gatka masters including sports and legal luminaries and other existing martial art specialists.
The WGF has imposed certain requirements on all Gatka players. The Gatkabaaz. (Click here to know more about the Legal and Official regulations for a Gatka Player)
Technical Terms
- The Gatka sports ground, where Gatka events will be held.
- Play Area: A circular ground with a diameter of 30 feet (radius of 15 feet) on which two Gatkebaaz will compete.
- Play Domain: Circular (Peripheral Region) outside the play area (30+4)
- Reserved Space: A region beyond the Play Domain for officials’ equipment and chairs.
- Fatehnama aiqhnwmw: The required rite (ceremony) to commence and terminate a combat engagement in which both opponents demonstrate mutual respect and sportsmanship.
- Soti (stick): A hardwood stick used in Combat Gatka competitions.
- Technique: Using Soti for both attack and defence.
- Soti-Farri: Sword and Shield substitute for Combat Gatka competitions.