Recalling the early days of Taekwondo’s growth in Assam, Vice President of the Assam Olympic Association Raj Kakoti on Saturday said that BJP legislator and Taekwondo master Yumnam Khemchand Singh began teaching Taekwondo to Assam Police personnel after the signing of the Assam Accord in 1985.
Speaking at a reception function organised in honour of Khemchand at Singjamei Assembly Constituency, Kakoti said that the situation in Assam improved significantly after the Assam Accord was signed and the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) came to power. “There were four ministers in the AGP cabinet who were students of Khemchand Sir, including then Home Minister Bhigru Phukan. After that, he started teaching Taekwondo to Assam Police personnel,” Kakoti said.
He recalled that Khemchand first arrived in Guwahati in 1980, at a time when the anti-foreigner agitation was at its peak in Assam. “During those days, Assam Police used to harass him, questioning why he was teaching boys to fight. Whatever I have learnt in life is from him,” Kakoti added.
Kakoti further highlighted Khemchand’s role in institutionalising the sport by forming the All-Assam Taekwondo Association in 1982, laying the foundation for the growth of Taekwondo in the region.
Khemchand, a 5th Dan Taekwondo master and BJP legislator, was recently awarded the 5th Dan in traditional Taekwondo by the Global Traditional Taekwondo Federation (GTTF). The GTTF is the apex body governing traditional Taekwondo, while the World Taekwondo Federation oversees its sports form.
Addressing the gathering, Khemchand said that like Vaishnavite Meitei Hindus consider visiting Vrindavan as a lifelong spiritual goal, he felt that learning Taekwondo would be incomplete without visiting South Korea. He said he travelled to Seoul in 1990 and graduated from the World Taekwondo Academy, Kukkiwon.
Khemchand began his Taekwondo journey at the age of 16 and is regarded as one of the pioneers of the martial art in Manipur, Assam, and the northeastern region. He was the founder president of the All-Assam Taekwondo Association and also served as Vice President of the Taekwondo Federation of India.
