In an effort to popularize the indigenous martial arts of Manipur, the Thang- Ta, Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh announced that an annual indigenous martial arts Meet will be a state calendar event, effective from this year. 

Chief Minister Biren made the announcement after a review meeting cum interaction session with Thang-Ta gurus and representatives of different indigenous martial arts bodies of the state at the durbar hall of the chief minister’s Secretariat on Sunday.

The chief minister said that the required fund for the annual meet would be earmarked in the State budget.

During the review meeting, the chief minister directed the youth affairs & sports,  YAS, officials to form an expert committee,  comprising renowned Thang Ta gurus/exponents, high ranking officials from the Finance, Art and Culture, Education-S, Planning Departments with YAS commissioner as the chairperson.

The committee would access the status of the different forms of the Manipuri martial arts, identify the requirements of different martial arts institutes/schools of the State.

The chief minister also asked the YAS officials to identify all active institutes/schools and get them registered with the State Government. 

He further asked the committee should also record the number of students and trainers of each institute. Apart from asking the committee to suggest a tentative date for the annual indigenous martial arts meet, the chief minister gave a timeline of June 20, by when the committee should submit it’s reporte. 

N.Biren asserted that Thang Ta is a glorious heritage of the state whose practice would definitely inculcate discipline and good moral in the youths of the state and help towards building a healthy society. 

“ It’s a good initiative.  No chief minister in the past had taken such a call to promote Thang-Ta,” said Moirangthem Rajen Singh, a Manipur State Kala Akademi awardee in Thang-Ta,  serving as the principal and secretary of Thang Ta school called Pakhangba Huiyen Lallon Association. 

The Thang Ta guru said that it was the martial tradition that protected the then Manipur kingdom and even extended its reign beyond Burma. 
Rajen also highlighted that Thang-Ta players from the state will be participating in a world martial arts event in South Korea in August where different martial arts of the world would be exhibited. 

Towards the promotion of Thang Ta, the previous state government in 2009, had introduced Thang- Ta as a subject in the school’s curriculum from class 9 to 12. The University of culture of Manipur also offers a degree course in Thang-Ta. 

Thang-Ta or huieyen lalong is a martial art from Manipur. It consists of two main components: Thang-ta or armed combat and Sarit Sara which means unarmed fighting. 

The primary weapons of this art are the thang (sword) and Ta (spear). 
 Due to cultural similarity and geographical proximity with Myanmar, Thang-Ta is closely related to Burmese Bando and Banshay.