6th North East Thang-Ta Festival begins

By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Sep 10 : The 6th edition of the North East Thang-Ta Festival has kicked off today at Thang-Ta Shanglen in Yumnam Huidrom.
The festival is being organised by the Huyel Langlon Thang-Ta Association with the assistance of the Minister of Culture, Government of India.
The inaugural function was attended by Yumnam Premkumar, president, Huyel Langlon Thang-Ta Association; Th Priyokumar, former secretary, Thang-Ta Federation of India and Nongthombam Noren Meetei, secretary, Luwang Thang-Ta Academy, Khurai Kongpal Sajor Leikai as the chief guest, functional president and guest of honour respectively, said a statement of the Huyel Langlon Thang-Ta Association.
154 Thang-Ta artistes and officials from 17 different Thang-Ta institutes are taking part in the festival, it said.
Speaking at the occasion, Y Premkumar noted that Thang-Ta is a very significant art-form which was once effectively used in safeguarding and defending the erstwhile country by 'our' forefathers and passed down from generations to generations.
The martial art form is not something which was prepared in recent times, he said. Through efforts for four/five decades, the indigenous martial art form has been spread and promoted across India and the world, he said.
Premkumar also stressed on the importance of further promoting the martial art, the statement said.