Display of Might

Writing by shinda on Thursday, 16 of November , 2006

Here’s a clip from last weekends Jor Melaa that happened in Surrey, BC. The atmosphere seems pumping with the Sangat really into the match, creating for what seems to be an amazing atmosphere. What really impressed me with the whole thing was the reffing, which is usually one of the most sensitive areas in such competitions. I liked how the 3 refs around the edges were all active, and working together with everyone seeming to be actively judging the match. Although this doesn’t necessarily eliminate missed calls or objectionable calls it does seem to reduce them, making for what would seem to be fairer matches, albeit longer ones.

The below match match pits, two of the current top Gatka players in North America, Sukhjinder and Teghbir Singh, both students of the late Charnjit Singh, against one another. Both have also participated in past Yudhs with Teghbir being the Yudh champion from 2004 while Sukhjinder impressed the Sangat this year by finishing first in the Kirpaan Demo, and fended of elimination against some of the top competitors, and his match against Jarnail was one for the ages.

Hopefully more videos from Jor Melaa will find there way online, likewise with videos from past Yudhs.

Hopefully we can see the rivalry grow and have a rematch of sorts at the next Yudh; which is slated to happen in the summer of 2007.

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Category: Fight, Gatka, Sikhi, Video

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Kids will be Kids..

Writing by shinda on Saturday, 11 of November , 2006

Looks like our boy Manroop still hasn’t learnt that fighting is bad (pshh), either that or this time of year just fills him with such josh and that he has to let it out somewhere.

Anyways looks them lincon boys went at it again and to watch the fight and read a better analysis then I would ever be able to provide check out Gagan’s Pind.

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Category: Fight

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Rumble young man rumble..

Writing by shinda on Friday, 3 of November , 2006

Its amazing what you’ll find on YouTube. It’s even more perplexing to imagine that random people got video cameras on them, catching things such as a school yard fights out of the blue. To add to the irony of the whole thing how often would you expect that those caught on camera end up being those same kids who you’ve seen grow up.

Anyway’s check out our very own Singh go up against someone outside his weight class in this one on one. From the end result and from the description left by the person on YouTube seems like the Singh wins, although the Dastaar unraveling is always a problem.

Even though many may get irked by the video, for me anyways, there’s always a level of pride felt when you see a Singh hold his own, especially in a day when all you hear about is Singhs getting pushed around. For those really offended by it, mans are young, and young men rumble. So with that said, rumble young man rumble.

Some more angles:

http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=rickster906

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Category: Fight, Sikhi, Video

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Freedom of Speech…or Responsibility of Speech?

Writing by shinda on Sunday, 1 of October , 2006

Its hard to write a post about the following clip. None the less it was posted on Singh Sahba Canada’s website, which seems to be a group which favours and supports the notorious Kalaa Afghanaa, and is a proponent for the Sikh Missionary College.

The following is from a scene that happened last week at Mayfield Gurdwara Sahib, in Brampton Ontario. The speaker is Inder Singh Ghugga, professor of Sikh Missionary College.

I’ve never been fan of a missionary college let alone had the stomach to deal with them. Since knowing about them I’ve just had this natural repulsion against them. This had less to do with there actual vichaar’s and more to do with the the arrogance in which they presented themselves when dealing with them in any sort of vichaar.

At the on-set Singhs made it clear that they did not appreciate Inder Singh Ghugga’s views and stances in certain regards. A book he had published challenged different philosophies sensitive to many in the Sikh faith. While some may feel this is in his full freedom of speech / right to present these views, others take it that a certain level of responsibility need be taken by that individual when presenting there views.

Although, I do agree it would have been better if vichaar was done and a debate within Sangat was arranged versus the protest, it was highly apprehensive that Inder Singh spew such remarks towards the Singhs knowing good well the atmosphere was already as volatile as it was.

At the end of the day I guess it all comes down to…”if you want beef lets get it then…you want peace I’m with it then..I dont start beef I finish it. yea dawg I’m militant”…

Note - Video removed.

Just to note - Since the incident Singhs have been able to get together, and create a peace, having done Ardaas for forgiveness. It is rumored that several sit downs have also occured between Inder Singh Ghugga and various vidvaans as he mentions, and hopefully the recordings exist somewhere so to be presented on the net at some time.

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Category: Fight, Protest, Sikhi, Video

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King of The Jungle

Writing by shinda on Saturday, 23 of September , 2006

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Category: Fight, Movies, TV, Video

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Justified Hypocrisy…

Writing by shinda on Tuesday, 19 of September , 2006

Gosh darn it, them Muslims are at it again, this time around though they’re pissed off at Pope Bendadict and the catholic clergy, after the Pope quoted an old text talking about how the religion of Mohammad aka Islam, being a religion so relentless in its pursuit of world domination that it’s either Islam or death, (sounds kind of familiar). [Mind you that the Pope was lecturing against the ideology of the person who said the quote and was using the quote as a reference as a point to his entire lecture, but that is irrelevant]

Undoubtedly this pissed off Muslims as they figure that the Pope called the prophet Mohammad a terrorist, which as you would expect would bring about the chaos that has ensued, but in the end are they not [our Muslim brethren] proving the quote true, by reacting to a quote that said, Muslims are violent, with violence?

Now don’t get me wrong, if I were Muslim, which according to the religious quiz on quizfarm.com I am, I’d probably be pissed of to, but then again that doesn’t make it right, let alone justify the violence, or threats of it. 

None the less, thinking about their hypocrisy I came to think about Gandhi (the skinny bald headed one) and his remarks against the Sikhs,  (Gandhi called Guru Gobind Singh a, “misguided patriot!”, and described them as a war mongrel of sorts), and about how we [Sikhs] reacted to that. History doesn’t seem to recall any outbursts, which brings to question why not. Off course there was the opposition against Gandhi, and I’m sure there were even protests, but seemingly those are lost in the footnotes of some history textbooks.

Fair enough, we’re bigger then that and got thicker skin then the Muslims, but didn’t Gandhi’s remarks not warrant widespread rage? After all, he wouldn’t have been around to get his beatings from the British if it wasn’t for Sri Guru Tegh Bahadaur Sahib Ji taking a stand or Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji who sacrificed his entire family giving Gandhi the opportunity to become the akirat kan that he was..

It’s in that, which lies the frustration that inspires such posts. Unlike the Muslims we had a legitimate beef, yet we chose to take the road less traveled, the turn the other cheek and keep marching approach. The approach that led us to bare the brunt of the sticks and stones handed out back in those days by the British, letting not Gandhi’s words hurt us. 

It’s that swallowing of pride that finds a way to get under my skin and boil into the sheer annoyance that I am  starting to develop against Muslims. Although I may respect there gonads when it comes to protesting collectively the way they do, the fact that they do it over the stupidest things is starting to lead me to resent them. They demand equal rights in secular nations yet fail to give the same rights back in their own. They openly denounce all religions day in day out, yet throw a fit when someone talks or even questions Islam. They are furious over the worlds negative portrayal of Muslims yet they do nothing to help make us think otherwise, and yet they some how day in and day out seem to justify there own hypocrisy, while denouncing all others.

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Category: AntiWar, Fight, India, Protest

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Peeta Dudh Jithiya Yudh

Writing by shinda on Tuesday, 5 of September , 2006

Yes the post is a week overdue, but then again what can you do.

Another Yudh has come and gone and things went pretty well, even though  there were a lot of unexpected’s, but like always you gotta just roll with the punch’s and come back as best as you can.

The whole day started a tad late, 2 hours if you want to be specific but then again, that much should be expected. 24 competitors for the over 16 age bracket and I think 16 for the under 16 group, plus those who participated in only kirpaan and damalaa made this the biggest Yudh competitor wise, with over 40 competitors from across North America and technically the World (Singhs from India participated also).

There was even a good Sangat turn out, considering the fact that rain clouds loomed over head all day, and of course Gatka isn’t all that popular or main stream yet, but given some time there’s definite potential for growth.

As far as the match’s the one thing that you need for them to be entertaining is rivalry. What would the Lakers/Kings, WWF/WCW/NWO, Shamrock/Ortiz, be if it wasn’t for the rivalry between them. Like wise in Yudh over the years there has been a build up of a few different rivalries of sorts that in one way or another make us want to come out and watch, in most cases it has to do with the past finalists, while other times it just has to do with similar fighters colliding.

This years major rivalry had to have been Jarnail Singh (Toronto) vs Sukhjinder Singh (Surrey). Of course there’s no love lost between the two, but there’s different reasons why this was the rivalry of the night. Both were students of Bhai Charanjeet Singh, both are quick and athletic, neither is big on defense, and finally ones from Surrey while the others from Toronto. It was this rivalry and the fact that the two met so late in the tournament in an elimination round match that made it in my eyes the match of the night.

The build up

Main reason the two met so late in the night was due to Sukhjinder facing off against Harpreet Singh (California), who happened to be the reigning champion, in the second round. Pulling out the win Harpreet Singh advanced on, while Sukhjinder was left to fight for survival the rest of the night. To his credit though he was able to fend of all competitors that came his way after that, including Harpreet Singh again, and also other elite, such as Gursheel Singh and I think even Ranjit, but then again it was more then a week ago and my memory isn’t all that good to begin with. Either way he [Sukhjinder Singh] put on a show, and was relentless the rest of the tournament.

Jarnail on the other hand came to win. Finishing second 2004 and not ranking in 2005, Jarnail was clearly out to clear his name. Winning all his match’s up until he came across Harbir Singh (Calgary), a new face to the international Gatka scene. Incidentally enough Harbir Singh had just prior (week earlier) competed in a local Gatka Tournament held in Calgary which he also won, so clearly he was the man to beat, other then the fact most of us had never seen or heard of him until the day of.

Anyway’s having had his first loss, Jarnail was sent to the losers bracket to face off against Sukhjinder who you could tell was not ready to let up. The fight started and both of them squared off. Not having the scores let alone remembering them I would have to guess this was the highest scoring match, with both going almost hit for hit, and if either competitor did manage a block, then it was similarly rewarded on the other side. When the match finished, no one could tell who was the clear victor as may have been in the case in most other match’s. When the judges made there decision it came out that they were both tied, sending the match into extra time. Again both competitors didn’t let up, knowing that one of them would be eliminated while the other got to compete in the finals. When the match did end, it was Jarnail Singhs hand that was raised, as he pulled of a win by a mere 2 points, the difference being the one hit Sukhjinder took on his back. Regardless of the result, you know that this is going to be one rivalry to look forward to next year.

The finals

Throughout the tournament, Harbir Singh demonstrated why defense is the best offense. Any Gatka Ustaad will tell you that you should always look for the block first then the strike, and Harbir Singh demonstrated why this works best, being the first second Yudh champion to go undefeated the entire tournament and taking the championship home to Calgary for the first time and doing his part in keeping it out of Toronto, yet again. Likewise in the jr’s it was Harman Singh, younger brother of Harbir Singh, who put the same defense first philosophy to work, beating out all competitors and winning it all for the Jr’s as he beat out favourites, Karandeep Singh (Surrey) and Manroop Singh (Toronto).

Harjot Kaur vs Gagandeep Singh

Although a rivalry solely on the fact that it was girl vs boy, the match was definitely entertaining in that it did go, not only into over time but also into sudden death, at which point it became repetitive sanjhaa vaars, until Gagan was able to get a strike in, winning the match. Apart from that the look of sheer determination on Gagan’s face, not wanting to loose to a Bibi, but coming soooo close to it made this match just that much more fun to watch.

The Flops

Like in all sports you have your picks who just don’t perform. This year I had Ranjit and Jarnail meeting in the finals, but Ranjit fell short in the quarters, which I guess you can’t really call a flop since the competition has grown really stiff in recent years, with competitors such as Harpreet Singh and Parmjit Singh from Cali, and the new found talent in Calgary in addition to other top picks such as Karam Singh (India) all involved, none the less, I expected Ranjit to last and go further then he did. Then you had the Nihang Singh from Harian Velaa who came out and didn’t really impress, winning I think only two match’s. Gursheel Singh last years runner up, didn’t show the tenacity he did last year, but at the same time Jarnail didn’t show fire last year either, so hopefully Gursheel comes out and puts on a better performance next year.Sohan Singh was another disappointment having beat Manroop Singh a week prior in exhibition by a good margin, loosing to Manroop just wasn’t expected, but then again Manroop won when it counted, so good for him.

The Surprises

Harbir Singh and Harman Singh were clearly underdogs coming in, but then again that had more to do with familiarity, those that knew them expected nothing less. Sukhjinder you could say also surprised me, since I didn’t expect him to compete at the level he did.

Overall things went pretty well, it didn’t rain, the competition was fierce and the day went seemingly well. I still think there needs to be changes made with the Reffing and judging, just because the current system doesn’t seem all that fair. For example the Harjot Kaur vs Gagandeep Singh match. What most felt was her striking first was called as a Sanjhaa, which is definitely a controversial call when  you get into a sudden death scenario.

Maybe have the referee there to watch for fouls only and have 5 judges score the bout as the case is in boxing, and then you take the tally of the scores to find the victor. Or do it UFC style, 3 rounds, where the judges score the rounds individually.

If it is kept the way it is then maybe get a rotating ref where you rotate the inside and outside refs every other fight, randomize things a little. Then again the sport and competition is still in its infant stages compared to many other competitions so I’m sure there will be a lot of changes to come over the years and hopefully even more tournaments that improve on things, so to end one can only wait and see.

Lastly a big thank you goes to all the sponsors especially those from Preet Video, and Digitology (Bhagauti Soora), who spent the entire day donating their services in capturing Yudh. To Harpreet of Media Vision for taking care of all the print material, posters flyers everything, Gabroo Punjab De Bhangra team for helping setup and volunteering to help run and manage the event and everyone else who put some time in to make things work. The pictures and videos should be made available shortly on Yudh.net but for now you can check out pictures Gursheel’s flickr account or his blog.  Also a big up goes to Amarinder Singh from Guelph who kept it going all day with the jokes and the commentating, hopefully he comes out again next year, in addition to all the Singhs from California, Calgary, Surrey, Guelph, India, Ottawa, and where ever else, who came all the way to compete and make Yudh an event worth watching.

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Category: Fight, Gatka, Sikhi

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