Indigenous sports series - Part 1 - Gatka

Gatka is an indigenous sport, which is largely played in the Northern part of the country, especially Punjab. 

It is a form of martial art associated primarily with the sikhs oand other related ethnic groups, such as Hindkowans. It is a style of stick-fighting, with wooden sticks intended to simulate swords.[The Punjabi name, gatka, refers to the wooden stick used and this term might have originated as a diminutive of a Sanskrit word, gada, meaning "mace".

It was part of the Khelo India youth games held in Panchkula this year. 

The stick used in Gatka is made of wood and is usually 3–3.5 feet (91–107 cm) long, with a thickness of around 1⁄2 inch (13 mm). It comes with a fitted leather hilt, 6–7 inches (15–18 cm) and is often decorated with Punjabi-style multi-coloured threads.

The other weapon used in the sport is a shield, natively known as phari. It is round in shape, measuring 9 by 9 inches (23 cm × 23 cm), and is made of dry leather. It is filled with either cotton or dry grass to protect the hand of player in case of full contact hit by an opponent.[2]

Gatka originated in the Punjab in the 15th century. There has been a revival during the later 20th century, with an International Gatka Federation was founded in 1982 and formalized in 1987, and gatka is now popular as a sport or sword dance performance art and is often shown during Sikh festivals.