Sarit Sarak () or Sharit Sharak () is a classical

Meitei tradition The culture of Meitei civilization evolved over thousands of years in what is now northeastern India and surrounding regions, beginning in Ancient Kangleipak, continuing most notably into Medieval Kangleipak, while influencing the neighboring st ...

martial art Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; and the pres ...

form. It is originated from the

Ancient Kangleipak Kangleipak was an ancient, lesser known civilisation, consisting of the modern day Manipur, Manipur, India which is still known to some residents as Kangleipak, and other neighbouring regions. The Kangla served as the foremost capital city of th ...

(present day

Manipur Manipur () is a state in northeastern India with Imphal as its capital. It borders the Indian states of Assam to the west, Mizoram to the south, and Nagaland to the north and shares the international border with Myanmar, specifically t ...

state). It is practised without using any weaponry. It is also defined as ''"hand to hand combat."'' It is considered as the

sibling A sibling is a relative that shares at least one parent with the other person. A male sibling is a brother, and a female sibling is a sister. A person with no siblings is an only child. While some circumstances can cause siblings to be raised ...

Thang Ta Thang Ta () is a classical Meitei traditional martial art form. It is originated from the Ancient Kangleipak (present day Manipur state). It is practised using weaponry. It is considered as the sibling of Sarit Sarak, which uses no weapons. Thang ...

, which uses weapons. Sarit-Sarak is a form of unarmed combat that includes techniques like ''Khutlon (hand and arm movements) and Khonglon (foot and leg movements)''. These techniques help improve strength, agility, and self-defense skills without using weapons. It is a unique style of unarmed combat that stands out from other martial arts. It is perfect in both avoiding attacks and launching its own, making it superior to other martial arts in the same category. In ancient times, Sarit-Sarak was an important part of Meitei society, helping warriors stay strong and ready, even without weapons. It taught important skills like offense, self-defense, and planning. Sharing the lessons from Sarit-Sarak with the current generation keep these traditions alive and improve physical and mental strength.

Etymology

The term "Sarit-Sarak" is derived from two

Meitei language Meitei (; ) also known as Manipuri ), is a Tibeto-Burman language of northeast India. It is the official language and the lingua franca of Manipur and an additional official language in four districts of Assam. It is one of the scheduled ...

words: "Sha-lit" and "Sha-lak." "Sha-lit" refers to escaping from an animal, while "Sha-lak" means taming the animal. The combination of these words reflects the system’s focus on both evading attacks and controlling or neutralizing threats, similar to how one would escape from or tame a wild animal.

Associations and organizations

National level in New Delhi

The Sarit-Sarak Federation of India, in collaboration with the Sarit-Sarak Association of

New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...

, organized the First National Sarit-Sarak Championship at the Akhil Bharat Hindu Maha Sabha Auditorium in 2024. The championship featured two events: ''Ahanba Chainaba'' and ''Anishuba Chainaba.'' The competition was held with participation from 20 teams across states such as

Assam Assam (, , ) is a state in Northeast India, northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra Valley, Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . It is the second largest state in Northeast India, nor ...

Nagaland Nagaland () is a States and union territories of India, state in the northeast India, north-eastern region of India. It is bordered by the Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh to the north, Assam to the west, Manipur to the south, and the Naga Sel ...

Tripura Tripura () is a States and union territories of India, state in northeastern India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, third-smallest state in the country, it covers ; and the seventh-least populous state with a populat ...

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

Haryana Haryana () is a States and union territories of India, state located in the northern part of India. It was carved out after the linguistic reorganisation of Punjab, India, Punjab on 1 November 1966. It is ranked 21st in terms of area, with les ...

, Jammu & Kashmir,

Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; Literal translation, lit. 'Land of Kings') is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the List of states and union territories of ...

Maharashtra Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...

Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (; ; ) is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and the largest city is Indore, Indore. Other major cities includes Gwalior, Jabalpur, and Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, Sagar. Madhya Pradesh is the List of states and union te ...

Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (ISO 15919, ISO: , , AP) is a States and union territories of India, state on the East Coast of India, east coast of southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, seventh-largest state and th ...

Jharkhand Jharkhand (; ) is a States and union territories of India, state in East India, eastern India. The state shares its border with the states of West Bengal to the east, Chhattisgarh to the west, Uttar Pradesh to the northwest, Bihar to the north ...

Uttarakhand Uttarakhand (, ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; List of renamed places in India, the official name until 2007), is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. The state is bordered by Himachal Pradesh to the n ...

Chhattisgarh Chhattisgarh (; ) is a landlocked States and union territories of India, state in Central India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, ninth largest state by area, and with a population of roughly 30 million, the List ...

Telangana Telangana is a States and union territories of India, state in India situated in the Southern India, south-central part of the Indian subcontinent on the high Deccan Plateau. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, ele ...

, and

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

Manipur

The Sarit-Sarak Association of

organizes state-level trials to select teams for the Sarit-Sarak Federation Cup, an annual event held under the Sarit-Sarak Swadeshi Martial Arts Sports Association,

. The competition typically takes place in October, with the trials held in advance to select athletes from affiliated units. The events are hosted in various locations, including venues like the Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium in

Solapur Solapur () is a city located in the south-western region of the States and Territories of India, Indian state of Maharashtra, close to its border with Karnataka. Solapur is located on major highway, rail routes between Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore ...

Jammu & Kashmir

The J&K Sarit Association took part in the first Sarit Sarak Federation Cup, held in Solapur, Maharashtra, from December 21-23 of 2024. The tournament had teams from 16 states across India. The J&K team performed well, finishing in fourth place and winning 18 medals.

Gallery

SARIT SARAK - KHUJENG PAIBA (1).jpg SARIT SARAK - KHUJENG PAIBA (2).jpg SARIT SARAK - KHUJENG PAIBA (3).jpg SARIT SARAK - KHUNAMDA NAAKAN PAIBA (1).jpg SARIT SARAK - KHUNAMDA NAAKAN PAIBA (2).jpg SARIT SARAK - KHUNAMDA NAAKAN PAIBA (3).jpg SARIT SARAK - KHUNAMDA NAAKAN PAIBA (4).jpg SARIT SARAK - KHUNAMDA NAAKAN PAIBA (5).jpg SARIT SARAK - KHUNAMDA NAAKAN PAIBA (6).jpg SARIT SARAK - KHUNAMDA NAAKAN PAIBA (7).jpg SARIT SARAK - KHUNAMDA NAAKAN PAIBA (8).jpg SARIT SARAK - KHUNAMDA NAAKAN PAIBA (9).jpg SARIT SARAK - MAKHAADA KHUJENGDA YETKI KAARAN PAIBA (1).jpg SARIT SARAK - MAKHAADA KHUJENGDA YETKI KAARAN PAIBA (2).jpg SARIT SARAK - MAKHAADA KHUJENGDA YETKI KAARAN PAIBA (3).jpg SARIT SARAK - MAKHAADA KHUJENGDA YETKI KAARAN PAIBA (4).jpg ꯁꯔꯤꯠ ꯁꯔꯥꯛ - ꯃꯈꯥꯗ ꯈꯨꯖꯦꯡꯗ ꯌꯦꯠꯀꯤ ꯀꯥꯔꯟ ꯄꯥꯢꯕ (꯱).jpg ꯁꯔꯤꯠ ꯁꯔꯥꯛ - ꯃꯈꯥꯗ ꯈꯨꯖꯦꯡꯗ ꯌꯦꯠꯀꯤ ꯀꯥꯔꯟ ꯄꯥꯢꯕ (꯲).jpg ꯁꯔꯤꯠ ꯁꯔꯥꯛ - ꯃꯈꯥꯗ ꯈꯨꯖꯦꯡꯗ ꯌꯦꯠꯀꯤ ꯀꯥꯔꯟ ꯄꯥꯢꯕ (꯳).jpg ꯁꯔꯤꯠ ꯁꯔꯥꯛ ꯀꯤ ꯃꯇꯥꯡ (꯱).jpg ꯁꯔꯤꯠ ꯁꯔꯥꯛ ꯀꯤ ꯃꯇꯥꯡ (꯲).jpg ꯁꯔꯤꯠ ꯁꯔꯥꯛ ꯀꯤ ꯃꯇꯥꯡ (꯳).jpg ꯁꯔꯤꯠ ꯁꯔꯥꯛ ꯀꯤ ꯃꯇꯥꯡ (꯴).jpg

* Gad-Ga *

Gatka Gatka (; ; ; ) is a form of martial art associated primarily with the Sikhs of the Punjab and other related ethnic groups, such as Hindkowans and Pahari-Pothwari. It is a style of stick-fighting, with wooden sticks intended to simulate sw ...

References

Other websites

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