GUWAHATI: Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh, a martial arts enthusiast, is among Bruce Lee’s millions of admirers, having taken up taekwondo after watching a film starring the icon.
Singh himself revealed this on Monday while attending a demonstration of Naga Indigenous Wrestling (Pyacha) in Senapati, organised by the Senapati District Wrestling Association.
Talking about his personal interest in martial arts, Singh said he had practised the traditional Meitei martial art of Thang-Ta during his childhood. He recalled that while studying in Class IX in the 1970s, he was deeply impressed by Bruce Lee after watching the film Enter the Dragon, which inspired him to take up taekwondo. Enter the Dragon is a 1973 martial arts film.
Last month, Singh was conferred the Grand Master ninth DAN by the Global Traditional Taekwondo Federation (GTTF). It was presented by GTTF president Grand Master Jun Lee at the inaugural function of the maiden Manipur State Poomsae Taekwondo Championship 2026 held in Imphal.
Singh began training in taekwondo at the age of 16. He is the founder president of the All Assam Taekwondo Association. In the early 1980s, he emerged as a key figure in popularising taekwondo in India and played an important role in the formation of the Taekwondo Federation of India, where he served as vice president.
Singh said that as years went by, he realised the importance of promoting and preserving indigenous martial arts and traditional practices.
Referring to the famous 36 Chambers of Shaolin in China, which attracts people from different parts of the world to learn and conduct research on its traditional martial arts, he emphasised that Manipur’s indigenous sports and cultural heritage also have immense potential and deserve greater recognition.
The chief minister said that he had visited Senapati, a Naga-majority district, with the objective of encouraging greater promotion of Naga Indigenous Wrestling. He expressed happiness that 25 of Manipur’s 36 communities were coming together to participate in the wrestling event.
He called for concerted efforts to promote and preserve the indigenous sports, traditional arts and cultural practices of different communities.
Drawing a comparison between Naga Indigenous Wrestling and the Meitei traditional wrestling form of Mukna, he noted that different communities have their own distinctive traditional sporting practices which deserve recognition, encouragement and promotion.
