In a series of articles, I will try to highlight the current position and contribution of North East and its sports in the Indian context. In a bid to do this, I found no better a beginning than the oldest sport in India: Archery.
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“Archery,one of the oldest of sports in India, has always been associated with history, a sport of valour and courage, a sport of great warriors of the country. The state of Meghalaya holds a traditional archery competition every year to commemorate the sport and its proponents: their fore fathers”
MEGHALAYA, the beautiful North East Indian state with a breathtaking beauty and landscape has a lot more to offer other than its beauty. For sports lovers of the region, the state has the annual archery competition organised by the Aaphira Archery Committee Shillong to commemorate the uprising of the Khasi king, U Tirot Singh against the British rule in April 1828. For the revellers to escape from the day-to-day monotony and the boredom of life this is a perfect place to be in.
A member of the Akhira committee, Lang Lamare, explained that the main idea and the objective of this competition was to trap the local talents, and agreed that this unique event was an occasion for all the people of Khasi to come together and know each other. It is an event that pushes for national integration and fostering of brotherhood.President of the Akhira Archery Committee, Saing Swain also believes that these kind of events will be a help for the young talents, as people from different caste, creed and gender and even women can participate in this event. The inhabitants of Meghalaya are habituated with usual games and sports and this competition is a right place for the people and the young talent of the state to rise to the occasion and bring out their best before the authorities. As the organisers have admitted that the main objective of organising the competition is to tap the local talent and to provide them with a platform to move ahead.
The state of Meghalaya celebrates archery and its proponents.
Archery has been practiced all over the place since time immemorial and the Archery Competition of Meghalaya is one of the unique festivals celebrated in this state. The art of archery is found in Ramayana and even in Mahabharata and thus has a historical background and the Archery Competition in Meghalaya will definitely strike the imagination, which will lead back to the period of the Khasi kings and their martyrdom.
This festival not only allures participants from different corners of the state but also attracts the attention of many visitors who come down to Meghalaya to witness this mega occasion and this is a unique moment for the people to come together and make new friendsThe Meghalaya Archery Competition organised is celebrated every year in the Polo Grounds of Shillong, which is situated in the East Khasi Hills. The competition is a grand event and has earned a lot of appreciation for the effort that it has brought to foster brotherhood and promote tourism in the state.
