Imphal: BJP legislator and Taekwondo master Yumnam Khemchand Singh on Sunday drew a parallel between religious pilgrimage and martial arts training, saying that just as Meitei Vaishnavite Hindus aspire to visit Vrindavan at least once in their lifetime, he felt it was essential to travel to South Korea to truly learn Taekwondo.
Speaking at a reception organised in his honour at Singjamei assembly constituency here, Khemchand, a 5th Dan Taekwondo exponent, said Korea holds a sacred place for practitioners of the martial art.
“For Meitei elders, Hinduism feels incomplete without visiting Vrindavan. In the same way, I felt that learning Taekwondo was incomplete without going to Korea,” he said.
Khemchand said he began his Taekwondo journey in 1978 and travelled to Seoul in 1990 to pursue advanced training.
He later graduated from the World Taekwondo Academy, Kukkiwon, widely regarded as the global headquarters of Taekwondo.
The reception was attended by vice-president of the Assam Olympic Association Raj Kakoti and North East Taekwondo Federation president Peleselie Khezhei, among others.
Khemchand was recently awarded the 5th Dan in traditional Taekwondo by the Global Traditional Taekwondo Federation (GTTF), the apex body governing the traditional form of the martial art.
Recalling Khemchand’s early contributions, Kakoti said the Taekwondo master arrived in Guwahati in 1980 at the height of the anti-foreigner agitation in Assam and went on to establish the All Assam Taekwondo Association in 1982.
He said Khemchand faced harassment during that period but continued teaching the sport.
Following the signing of the Assam Accord in 1985, Khemchand began training Assam Police personnel, Kakoti added.
Praising his contributions, Khezhei said Khemchand’s influence extended beyond Manipur and the Northeast.
“He is not only an MLA but a sportsman at heart. His guidance has shaped Taekwondo across the region and the country,” he said.
Khemchand started training in Taekwondo at the age of 16 and is considered one of the pioneers of the sport in Manipur and Assam.
He also played a key role in the formation of the Taekwondo Federation of India and served as its vice-president, Taekwondo exponent R K Shivachandra said.
Addressing the gathering, Khemchand also spoke on the ongoing crisis in Manipur, urging the Meitei community to play a constructive role in restoring peace.
He said Manipur is home to 36 communities and each must contribute to rebuilding trust and normalcy.
“Being the majority community, Meiteis need to play the role of a big brother in resolving the conflict,” he said, adding that lingering trust deficits, including fears about travelling through certain areas, must be addressed to move towards reconciliation and peace in the state.
