New Delhi, June 14 – Punjab asserted its dominance at the 12th National Gatka Championship, clinching the overall titles in both the boys and girls categories, as the three-day event concluded today at Talkatora Indoor Stadium, New Delhi.
Organised by the National Gatka Association of India (NGAI), the championship saw participation from over 500 players representing 14 states. The chief guest, Justice (Retd) Talwant Singh, former judge of the Delhi High Court, presented medals alongside special guest Bibi Ranjit Kaur of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee.
Justice Singh urged youth to take up Gatka as a professional pursuit, praising NGAI’s efforts to promote this traditional Sikh martial art nationally and internationally.
Top honours in the championship were swept by Punjab:
• Ravleen Kaur (Chandigarh) and Sherry Singh (Punjab) were declared best players in girls and boys categories respectively.
• Harmandeep Kaur and Harsimran Singh, both from Punjab, won awards for best performance.
In the boys’ events, Punjab took home multiple golds, including in U-14 and U-17 team and individual categories. Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand secured second and third positions respectively. In the girls’ events, Chandigarh came second and Haryana third overall.
The event also featured intense competition across various age groups (U-14, U-17, U-19, U-22, and U-25), with teams competing in single stick, ferry stick, and falconry events.
Key Highlights:
• U-25 Boys Single Stick: Punjab’s Sherry Singh clinched gold
• Falconry (Individual): Punjab’s Gurlal Singh and Chandigarh’s Dilpreet Singh emerged winners
• Girls’ U-22 Ferry Stick: Punjab won gold, followed by Chandigarh and Chhattisgarh
• Team Falconry Event: Haryana took gold, Punjab silver
• Fairy Stick Team (Boys): Punjab struck gold again, followed by Uttarakhand and Bihar
NGAI President Harjit Singh Grewal thanked participants and hailed the growing interest in Gatka among youth. NGAI officials Harmanpreet Singh Jolly, Dr. Tejinderpal Singh Nalwa, and Sukhchain Singh Kalsani were also present.
With Punjab reaffirming its traditional strength in Gatka, the championship not only showcased fierce competition but also renewed calls to institutionalize the martial art across training academies and professional circuits nationwide.
