10-26-2011, 02:47 PM
Gatka?
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Quote:Sikhs to hold international martial arts competition Saturday in San Jose
By Lisa Fernandez
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Posted: 10/26/2011 01:55:37 PM PDT
Updated: 10/26/2011 01:55:39 PM PDT
Sikhs are not unfamiliar with battle, neither physical nor political, here in Silicon Valley.
And on Saturday, the community is holding its first-ever international Sikh martial arts competition in the Evergreen hills, at the San Jose Gurdwara Sahib, or Sikh temple.
The battle is over who will be the best "gatka" expert, the one who best masters a sword, a stick and a shield in an ancient rite of Sikh combat.
"This is the first international gatka contest held in California," said Sukhdev Bainiwal, a member of the San Jose Sikh temple who is in charge of the battle. The first such contest was held nine years ago in Toronto.
He said about 200 competitors from California, New York, Houston, Maryland, New Jersey, Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver and India will participate. There are four age categories, from the under-7 group to those who are in their 60s. The winners share a total of $9,000 in cash prizes.
Gatka may be best compared to the eskrima, the martial arts of the Philippines. Bainiwal said this form of martial arts is deeply infused in the Sikh religion; the sixth guru first used this technique on the battlefied.
"It's more spiritual and more meditative," Bainiwal said.
Members of the San Jose Sikh temple lobbied their global community to host this competition. In April, the second phase of construction on the temple was complete, making the $32-million, 110,000-complex the largest and most expensive in the
country.
The gatka competitions will be held on one stage inside the worship hall, and on one outdoor stage. The temple is at 3636 Murillo Ave. and the contest runs from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. The public is invited to watch for free.
To watch gatka videos, click on http://www.yudh.net.
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