Srinagar, June 17: Saira Zahoor a student of class 12th of Delhi Public School Srinagar won a silver medal in the 52 kgs category in Thang-ta at the recently held Khelo India youth Games.
Thang Ta- “The Art of the Sword and Spear”- is the traditional martial art of Manipur in Northeast India. It integrates various external weapons – the sword, spear, dagger, etc. – with the internal practice of physical control through soft movements coordinated with the rhythms of breathing. The games were held in Panchkula Haryana from 4th – 6th June 2022.
14 participants from 14 states of India participated in Thang ta and the competition was quite tough. The final was a close affair and Saira put up a very courageous performance losing by a very thin margin of 22-24.
Congratulating the student, the Principal Shafaq Afshan said, “We are delighted that our student has won accolades for the school and the valley at a national level. Our endeavour is to provide students a platform to excel, and the success of Saira proves we are on the right track.”
The Chairman, Vijay Dhar also congratulated the student, and said “DPS Srinagar manifests the best of academics and co-curricular activities in a holistic pedagogy. Before we burst on the scene, disciplines like Thang Ta were unheard of, but now through students like Saira, talent in all non-traditional sports is also getting an opportunity to get noticed. Congratulations to her.”