Manipuri Thang-ta artiste, Ranjeet Chingtham, gets candid about the art form

Thang ta is an indigenous martial art form from Manipur’s Meitei community. Earlier, it was called Huiyen Lallong, meaning the technique of war. The story goes that from the creation of the Universe we have a lot of books and scripts for reference, books on how weaponries are made, etc, which gave rise to the art form. Moreover, the country had fought many battles of power with the neighbouring States, so for defense this art form was used. We even fought the Britishers with this art form. They were fearful of the Meitei warriors. In fact, after they annexed the State, they banned the practice of Thang ta and the possession of weapons. But after the Rule was over, the practice was revived silently by gurukuls and home schools.

We use many different kinds of weapons and swords. In our tradition, there are seven clans. And each clan has different weapons in shapes and sizes. For ritual performances, every clan has different swords. Fighting swords have different weights and blades as compared to decorative ones which are used to showcase or teach. Before handling real swords, beginners practice with sticks covered with leather for protection in case anyone is hit by them directly; but in olden times they were wrapped in cloths. This is called Seibei phunachei. The small shield and maze is called chungoi. These also differ is sizes. Chung is specially used with sphere which is called Ta while Thang means sword. So Thang –ta means Sword and sphere.

Costumes have developed since Thang ta became a martial art. Before that every household had warriors. Now we wear armguards, chinguards, dhotis and in black colour which was used to camouflage during the war times.

I started my journey of martial arts around 1978-79. I was always a lean kid and children used to tease me. So, one day I thought to do something to protect myself. My uncles and kin brothers used to go for practice and I started joining them in the mornings. Before Kung Fu, I did judo and karate. In the 1970’s Enter the Dragon movie had come to India and all of us were inspired by the art form and techniques. From there I learned Kung Fu and after that I have practiced many times. One day a friend took me for a Thang ta demonstration and after seeing it I thought that our art is no less. That was when I joined the journey of Thang- ta. I realised fighting is not the goal of this art. It inculcates complete discipline and defense in the practitioner.

This is not only for self-defense. It is also for making your personality and staying fit. If you are not physically fit, then how can you survive your life? As they say, health is wealth! My guru’s used to tell me, ‘know yourself’; especially in the digital age when the youth are more concerned about what’s on the internet more than their traditions. From the knowledge of Thang ta they can understand how to survive life through self-discipline and protect oneself and how the mind can control our actions during critical times.

Before joining my classes many did not have an idea but when they join, their first work is to do their duty like cleaning the practice space. Then they gradually move on respecting and regarding the youngsters and elders. Finally comes the main art form.

Yes. During warfare there are no restrictions to physically hit or touch the other person. But in performing arts, there is choreography and music that is applied to entertain. But it is still dangerous because we are sometimes holding real swords, so bruises occur.