By Salil Gewali
Childhood is not without fascination. A child cherishes dreams that can’t always be fulfilled but that continue to provide inspiration for him/her.
In the 70s and 80s, the craze among youths for taekwondo in Northeast India was at a fever pitch. Though I was not allowed from home, this martial arts from Korea had also held my fascination.
Now, I can understand how it had helped me to kick a load of negativity. The credit for this goes to LuthreLohar. I had heard that the Royal Enfield bike rider and the first taekwondo black-belt holder of India stayed somewhere at Laitumkhrah, Shillong.
My curiosity about the Korean martial arts had become stronger only after I had been to Guwahati to attend my uncle’s marriage. This is one of the unforgettable anecdotes of my life. I was probably not even 12 years old then. A group of teenagers gathered around me when they learned that I was from Shillong. I was surprised. I wondered why they were after me and why I became so much important to them.
I learned they were gently getting at me to extract more information about Luthre.
I had only heard from them that Luthre had already set up his taekwondo training centre in Tezpur. Those boys wanted titbits about the martial arts fighter from Shillong. Frankly speaking, until that time, I was uninformed of the taekwondo pioneer of India – that he was living in Meghalaya.
I felt embarrassed. But I did not lie about my ignorance. However, I could relate to the passion and fascination of those boys. Since that day, I also grew eager to get more information about martial arts.
Almost all the boys in the locality I lived in were good at throwing kicks and punches. As I was from a strictly conservative household, I had very little to show. However, I picked up a few techniques soon and learned to strike common taekwondo poses. For practice, we usually hit the sand-filled punching bag and make our knuckles look raised and high.
Among friends, we were excited that Luthre could break a pile of wood planks and bricks with his fists and legs. We often would give a try breaking “thin” wood planks!
One of my close friends was equally keen to know more about Luthre. With boyish innocence and naivety, we wondered how the taekwondo master looked like and how big his knuckles were. Both of us decided to visit Luthre’s house at Laitumkhrah near DGR. It is still a vivid memory.
We boarded the popular bus from MawlongHaat. Those days, we would pay 10 paise and eat chana. We were thrilled with excitement and anticipation all along the journey.
To our sheer disbelief and relief, we were not alone to visit Luthre’s residence. There were other boys – some quite aged – who had come to see the house of their taekwondo master from a distance. We overheard them praising the 7th Dan master. Though we did not get a chance to see Luthre popping in his spacious muddy courtyard, the feeling of joy and pride overwhelmed us.
We both thought that we could at least brag about this with other friends. After all, he was the heartthrob of the youth.
Probably within a month, we saw Luthre in person at NSCA Stadium, Shillong. We were awestruck at the way, our fellow martial arts aspirants and instructors were being trained by Luthre.
The vibe in that big hall with a huge number of practitioners further shaped my respect for sports. I saw people from all communities and strata in one big gymnasium. All were looking up to their master with great attention. The entire stadium exhibited an immense sense of discipline, devotion and enthusiasm. I wished I were one of them. Taekwondo doubtlessly fostered and strengthened a unique bond of kinship and love among various communities.
But the sudden news of the demise of this martial arts icon of the 70s-80s on 12th June 2021 at Nazareth hospital has left countless people across the country dumbfounded.
There were outpourings of condolence messages from well-wishers across all communities and states. A senior advocate of the town Khalid Khan mournfully burst out – “It is an end of an era. A great sportsman and inspiration to generations of young people, LuthreLohar will be remembered as a sporting legend who spread love, promoted talent and skill and brought different communities of Shillong and northeast under one umbrella of taekwondo.”
Truly, his demise at the age of 75 has left a deep void and irreparable loss to the state. The Chief Minister Shri Conard Sangma himself has taken to Twitter to express the following condolence, “Meghalaya loses a legend with the passing of Grandmaster LuthreLohar, 1st Indian Black Belt in Taekwondo who introduced Taekwondo in India and Meghalaya and who was also the founder of the Meghalaya Taekwondo Association.”
Eminent writer and recipient of U Tirot Singh award – Dr Streamlet Dkhar reminisced: “Luthre was a legend and I considered myself very fortunate to have met him during the late 70s when as a young girl and wanted to learn martial arts. He was a disciplined master and a good human. May his name be remembered throughout the ages as the iconic grandmaster of martial arts. I pray may his soul rest in eternal peace”.
One seniormost student of Shillong with 6th Dan under his belt – UN Shukla remarks, “Unlike any other things our grandmaster inspired countless youths to keep themselves out of drugs and alcoholism which can’t be described in words as I am witnessed to this fact. I feel this is a rare contribution to the state of Meghalaya and northeast by all accounts by our Grandmaster.”
Indeed, sports never fail. With urbanity beset with the scourge of drug abuse and alcoholism, the sportive spirit can effectively dispel the evil of addiction. LothreLohar not only confined himself to Shillong – he later set up taekwondo branches in Mizoram, Assam, Delhi, Chennai, Chandigarh and Kathmandu.
Born into a very humble family, Luthre’s admirers include many eminent scholars, top bureaucrats and political leaders.
About the Founding Father of Taekwondo in India, a former Lok Sabha MP from Kokrajhar, Shri SansumaKhunggurBwiswmuthiary paid his tribute to Luthre. He said, “I do solemnly extend my deepest sense of condolences to all the members, relatives, friends and well-wishers of the bereaved family of the Founding Father of Taekwondo in India.”
Similarly, a martial arts lover from Shillong, Azad Mukhim writes in his condolence message: “Taekwondo master with 7th Dan, but I personally know him to have 10th Dan, (he couldn’t collect the remaining belts because of the financial problem). I have known him to be a very humble and kind person, always smiling all the time. The Sports Association of India has lost a GREAT LEGEND!!”
Life is short; death is inevitable. This pandemic has taught us that we mortal beings are only floating on the bubble of uncertainty. It is, therefore, always rewarding to have the sportive spirit and follow in the footprint of the talents who kicked high!