With teams from 13 states, the first Federation Gatka Cup organised by the National Gatka Association of India (NGAI) commenced here on Saturday after its inauguration by gurdwara priest Sant Baba Gurdev Singh of Nanaksar.
The martial art of Gatka, as a modern sporting discipline, is a standardised style of stick fighting between two or more opponents.Speaking on the occasion, Baba Gurdev Singh lauded the NGAI for keeping the martial art of self-defence that is nearly 600 years old alive.
"Since Gatka is a form of self-defence, all state governments and organisations should support the NGAI in promoting the sport to keep the youth away from drugs and connect them with their traditional values and heritage," he said.
On Day 1, Simrpreet Kaur and Harneet Kaur demonstrated their martial art skills and played Gatka under the guidance of Shubhkaran Singh, head of the Sikh Heritage Sports Department, and coach Gursharan Singh from the Dasmesh Gurmat Vidyalaya in Melbourne.
In the Farrie-Soti women's team event, Haryana defeated Jammu in the first semifinal, while Delhi lost to Punjab in the second.In the Gatka Soti women's individual event, Haryana beat Punjab in the first semifinal while Madhya Pradesh went down to Jharkhand in the second.
In the men's category of the Gatka Sotti team event, Punjab defeated Chhattisgarh in the first semifinal, while Uttarakhand got the better of Chandigarh in the second.Earlier, Harjeet Grewal, President, NGAI, said the 11th national championship and the second Federation Cup would feature men's and women's teams from 20 states.
He said in order to continue the preparations of the players for the big ticket tournaments, the national-level first Champions Trophy would be held in Kurukshetra in September in collaboration with the Haryanvi Gatka Association.
The Sikh community has kept alive the martial art of Gatka, a fighting technique developed by a Sikh guru during the 17th Century, not only in India but across the globe where the diaspora is settled. The martial art emphasises self-control and discipline.