ABSOLUTE TAEKWONDO DOJANG PLAYERS GIVE A DAZZLING DEMONSTRATION OF MARTIAL ART AT THE AVYA CLUB

 

Pratikchhya Rana (right) delivers a powerful kick during the martial art demonstration at Avya Club, Pokhara. Photo: LB Thapa

By LBTHAPA

 

Young Taekwondo students of Absolute Taekwondo Dojang stole the eyes of the audience at AVYA CLUB when they performed a well-coordinated series of martial art stunts.

 

About two dozen young Taekwondo students of Absolute Taekwondo Dojang, Birendra Chowk, Pokhara gave an electrifying martial art demonstration before a crowd who had gathered at the Avya Club to attend a Saturday Market. The martial art demonstration lasted for over one hour and during this time, the audience remained glued to their seats. 

All photos by LB Thapa

 

“I was invited by Niroj Lama, managing director of the Avya Club, to give a martial art demonstration before the visitors who come to attend the Saturday Market. I did bring about two dozen young Taekwondo students of my Dojang to perform a martial art demonstration”, said Rekh Gurung, Black Belt 5^th Dan in Taekwondo and the chief trainer at Absolute Taekwondo Dojang.

 

Some Taekwondo students in the martial art show were as young as 6 years. But the way they performed some aerial kicks and self-defense patterns was simply awesome. The crowd gazed at the performance of those kids in awe.

 

“My daughter is merely a 5-year-old Taekwondo student at Absolute Taekwondo Dojang. Our happiness knew no bounds when the Guru informed us about the selection of our daughter for the Taekwondo demonstration team. My daughter was happy at the selection but she was quite nervous. That’s why I came along with her to show my presence during her show. As the demonstration progressed, I could not believe in my eyes when my tiny daughter delivered all kinds of kicks so gracefully”, said Chandra Kala Gurung, a mesmerized mother.

 

Erika is only 6 years old and she is the youngest Taekwondo player at Absolute Taekwondo Dojang. Similarly, Tarun is 8 years old and Sonam is 7 years old. Unbelievably, these kids are very sincere and disciplined.  

 

“The parents of many kids have told me that their kids were very much wayward, naughty, and mischievous at home. It was extremely difficult to deal with those kids, as they were not only adamant but also aggressive. But ever since they joined the Dojang, their parents made a conspicuous change in the nature of their kids. They became much more sincere, obedient, and docile with their parents”, said Rekh Gurung, Taekwondo coach at Absolute Taekwondo Dojang.

 

Rekh Gurung is a Black Belt 5th Dan Taekwondo coach at Absolute Taekwondo Dojang, Pokhara. Photos: Read 2b happy. 

Talking with this scribe one of the parents of a kid said, “When I admitted my 8 years old son at the Dojang, I was sure sooner or later the Guru will make a call and ask me for not sending my son to Dojang. Literarily speaking I was in constant fear of receiving a call from the Guru. However, to my utter dismay, I received no call from the Guru. On the other hand, I began to see a noticeable change in the nature and behavior of my son. Within a month or so, my son was completely changed. He entirely stopped quarreling on petty matters and he became much calmer and sincere too”.    

 

Some senior boys and girls were also in the martial art demonstration team. Their high-quality martial art performance was simply exceptional. The entire martial art demonstration was performed with a fine tune of music that simply added more spice to the show.

“This is the first time experience for me to see a live martial art demonstration in my life. I had never seen anything like this before. I liked all the shows presented by the young kids and senior Taekwondo players. But my favorite one was a fight where a thin-looking girl took up a fight with three scoundrels. She really delivered some nasty kicks on the heads and abdomens of the offenders that within a few seconds all of them knocked down at her hand”, said a spectator with a wide smile across his face.

 

“The girl you saw fighting with three boys in the demonstration is Pratikchhya Rana. She is merely 16 years old, but her innocent-looking face and age belie her strength. Pratikchhya is already a National Games Gold Medalist. Yet another young boy Sujan Gurung is the number one Taekwondo player in the Kaski district. There are many young Taekwondo players at my Dojang who are extremely talented and I am pretty sure one day they will bring international medals for the country”, opined Rekh Gurung.

 

When asked about the Taekwondo demonstration, Rekh Gurung, senior, head coach at Absolute Taekwondo Dojang, said, “My team of young Taekwondo players is highly professional. All martial art stunts are strictly prepared under my strict observation. I stringently observe every single move of my students. I prepare simple stunts for small kids, which are completely safe for them. However, I prepare a few complicated moves for the senior students. I take my students for rigorous practice under my strict observation lest any accidents happen”.

 

As a matter of fact, over the last couple of years, martial art performance at festivals (Mahotsava) has gained much popularity. “I do not want to keep martial art demonstration within the periphery of Mahatsova. On many occasions, different institutions including schools, colleges, and some organizations can invite us to the show. I am very sure our young martial art students are quite capable of pepping up the show”.

 

Finance has been the issue with the Dojang. Paying regular rent and purchasing expensive gear for the Dojang has become a serious obstacle. “We have not received any financial or logistic support from the state. The only source of income for the Dojang is students’ training fees---but this is not enough. Due to unbridled inflation, the market has become much dearer today than ever before. In a situation like this running this Dojang with ease has become a much more challenging task”, added Rekh Gurung. 

However, Rekh Gurung seems quite optimistic for the better days ahead. It is her strong conviction that despite many obstacles there are silver lines on the horizon.

LB Thapa is a freelance writer and author.

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