Korea for me is like what Vrindavan is for a Vaishnavite Meitei: Khemchand

Imphal: BJP legislator Yumnam Khemchand Singh, a 5th Dan Taekwondo master, today said that ‘Vrindavan for a Vaishnavite Meitei Hindu is the pilgrimage destination to learn more about the religion, and so is South Korea for him to learn the Taekwondo martial art.’ He said that learning taekwondo from South Korea is the ultimate goal for a taekwondo player.

Speaking at a reception function organized in his honour at the Singjamei Assembly Constituency here, the former Rural Development Minister said, “Every Meitei elder feels that Hinduism is not complete without visiting Vrindavan during their lifetime; likewise, I also felt that learning taekwondo art is incomplete without visiting Korea.”

Khemchand said that he started his career in 1978 and went to Seoul in 1990 to learn taekwondo. He graduated in the martial art from World Taekwondo Academy, Kukkiwon, in Seoul.

Vice President of the Assam Olympics Association, Raj Kakoti, and Peleselie Khezhei, President of the Northeast Taekwondo Federation, attended the reception.

Khemchand was recently awarded 5th Dan in traditional taekwondo style by the Global Traditional Taekwondo Federation (GTTF). The GTTF is the highest body of traditional taekwondo, while the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) controls its sports form.

Kakoti recalled how Khemchand landed in Guwahati in 1980 and then formed the All-Assam Taekwondo Association in 1982. “Khemchand Sir came to Guwahati when the anti-foreigner agitation was at its peak in Assam. What I have learnt in life is from him. During this period, Assam Police harassed him by asking, “Why are you teaching boys to fight?” Kakoti then said that after the Assam Accord was signed in 1985 and the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) won the assembly election, things improved. “There were four ministers who were taekwondo students of Khemchand Sir in the cabinet, including former Home Minister Bhigru Phukan. He then started teaching taekwondo to Assam Police personnel,” he added.  Peleselie said that Khemchand is not only the taekwondo master of Manipur, Nagaland and the northeast, but also of the entirety of India. “Sir is a man of action. He is not only an MLA but also a sportsman. You are not a politician but a sportsman. Please continue to guide us in the sports,” he said. This has been stated in a press release from the politician-sportsman.

Also Read: NEO-VAISHNAVITE LITERATURE AND DEVOTION