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Medal winners seen here along with the state Pencak Silat officials after a press conference in Dimapur, Nagaland on Saturday, August 24. (EM Images)[/caption]
Eastern Mirror Desk
Dimapur, Aug. 24: The Nagaland Pencak Silat Association (NPSA) has appealed to the state government to recognise Pencak Silat under the state Ministry of Youth Resources and Sports and Nagaland Olympic Association; and to send proposal for inclusion of Pencak Silat in Khelo India to Central government to avail benefits from the government such as scholarship, national awards, jobs, sports, schemes and talent identification to name a few.
The association made this appeal at a press conference on Saturday, August 24 at the Tourist Lodge in Dimapur.
The association has appealed to send all the selected players with officials of NPSA by IPSF to represent India in any of these two international Pencak Silat Championship to be held in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Korea in October; and to include Pencak Silat in state Hornbill Festival annually and in the dept. of Tourism, Art and Culture and for cultural exchange of indigenous games and sports between Indonesia and Nagaland.
The association president Khevishe Sema said the proposal submitted to the state government for recognition of NPSA was still pending with the department of Youth Resources and Sports. He said the Nagaland Pencak Silat team was preparing for the upcoming event to be held in Malaysia and Singapore and even if the association was not recognised by the government the team hopes to receive support from the govt.
Mention can be made that the Nagaland Pencak Silat team won eight medals in the recently concluded Junior National Pencak Silat Championship organised by the Pencak Silat Association of Punjab under the aegis of Indian Pencak Silat Federation that was held at Guru Nanak Dev University Amritsar, Punjab from August 19 to the 21st. This was updated at a press conference by the association.
The NPSA informed media persons that the junior team took part in four events in the national championship in Tending; Ganda; Tunggal and Regu event and the Indian Pencak Silat Championship has selected the best junior players to represent India in the international Junior Pencak Silat Championship to be held in Malaysia and Singapore in October.
However the NPSA lamented that the association which was formed in 2016 in Dimapur and got affiliated to the Indian Pencak Silat Federation (IPSF) on April 28 recognised by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports GOI was yet to be recognised by the government of Nagaland and that the association has been sponsoring the participants so far in all the events participating.
The association said the Nagaland team was felicitated by the advisor of Tourism, Art and Culture H Khehovi Yeptho at the Nagaland House in New Delhi on August 22 and also by the Naga Students’ Union Delhi.
The NPSA spokesperson Kashito Kiba was optimistic that with a chief minister who advocates music, art and sports, the proposal of the association will be considered and extend support to the youths and Pencak Silat sport.
Kiba asserted that the participants of the recently concluded junior championship was sponsored by the association and the participants, and that the team's target was to go forward with the October event whether they receive support from the government or not.
