Untold Story of Manipuri Martial Arts THANG-TA |Only Expert in India,Journey Legacy GURU BISWAJEET

From Manipur to Mumbai and then Delhi, Guru Biswajit has witnessed a shift—as a student, as a sportsman and now as an instructor. He specializes in Manipuri martial art Thang-ta, and the Chinese meditation of Tai-chi and takes workshops, training sessions and regular foundation courses at the National school of Drama (NSD), Delhi and other theatre institutes.

A traditional martial art of Manipur, Thang-ta is the art of the sword and spear. It makes use of weapons like sword, spear, dagger and sticks as accessories, and is about physical balance by using soft movements synchronised with rhythms of breathing.

Singh grew up in east Imphal learning Taekwondo, and participated in international Taekwondo championships during his youth. Around this time, he started interacting with a local group who used martial art in theatre, and was hooked for life.

Talking about his shift from playing a sport, to teaching it professionally, Singh said, “I initially joined NSD to teach martial arts. In 1994, I went to China on a year’s fellowship. Within two years, I was back for a PhD in martial arts from Beijing.” On his return, he endured a fiveyear long struggle when few opportunities came his way. “Then UGC made Thang-ta a part of the theatre syllabus in central universities—and life changed,” he adds. Since then, Singh has been associated with NSD, and credits the institute for his success.