September 10th, 2008 Source: www.punjabheritage.org

 Monday, 08 September 2008: In a ground-breaking new series, technology and history collide head-on in ten action-packed episodes, where we witness first-hand the power of pivotal world-changing weapons.

Weapon Masters explores the history and science of ten weapons of the ancient world. Hosting the series is internationally known weapons expert and historian, Mike Loades. In each hour-long episode, Mike travels to a different international location to examine one particular ancient weapon and learn first-hand about the cultures where the weapon was used. He is assisted by an expert who demonstrates the techniques behind each weapon. He then challenges his co-host and master craftsman, Chad, to improve upon it using modern manufacturing techniques and materials.  

In India, Mike explores the history of the steel quoit weapon used by the Sikhs and known as the chakram or chakkar. This ancient Indian projectile weapon inflicts serious damage with its razor sharp cutting edge.
 
Mike travelled to Punjab to meet with Nidar Singh Nihang, a master swordsman who has spent the last twenty years researching the history, philosophy, and unique warrior traditions of the Akali-Nihang Sikh. With assistance from the Akali-Nihang community in Punjab, Nidar Singh taught Mike the various chakram techniques used in battle by the Akali-Nihangs; “In India I met the Akali Nihangs, a nomadic sect of Sikh warriors, from whom I learned various techniques for throwing the chakram – a razor ed ged steel battle quoit – both on foot and from horses and elephants!”

 “Although it was my first experience with the chakram I managed to throw one 40 yards with no trouble at all. The chakram has an airfoil cross section and you can see it working - it really does fly. And it is surprising how quickly one can become accurate with it at shorter ranges.

Nidar Singh Nihang, an expert in Indian martial arts, demonstrates many different techniques for throwing the ‘chakkar’, as the chakram is more commonly known in the Punjab. The tajini method of spinning it on the index finger is the most well known but there are other methods, such as bowling it underarm as the warrior approaches an enemy, throwing it on the move or the more powerful diagonal throws from left to right and right to left.

“As well as the different types of throw”, said Mike “there are many different types of chakram - from the standard ones around 9 -10 inches in diameter to small bracelet sized ones worn on the forearm and flicked at an enemy's face at close quarters with an action similar to flicking a deck of cards. At the other end of the scale are the large chakrams of two feet diameter, which are worn around the neck. Nidar Singh showed me a technique for deploying these from the second or third ranks behind the front line when engaged in hand-to-hand fighting - they are thrown almost vertically to descend on the heads of the enemy’s front line.”

Mike also learnt from a traditional Indian blacksmith the techniques of forging the chakram from steel. “I also travelled to Patiala where I met the brothers Harinder and Mobinder Singh who showed me how to make a chakram in a traditional forge.”

Back in the US, Chad aimed to better the traditional design and techniques with state-of-the-art materials and a mechanical launch mechanism.

- By Amandeep Singh Madra

- Images courtesy of Kam Singh (www.flawlessphotos.co.uk) 

Schedule for Weapon Masters – Chakram

Discovery Knowledge (UK)

10 September 2008, 18:00:00
11 September 2008, 08:00:00
11 September 2008, 13:00:00
13 September 2008, 17:00:00

Discovery Military Channel (US)

Schedule not yet published.
See http://military.discovery.com/tv/weapon-masters/weapon-masters.html for updates.

Comments

September 12, 2008 - 12:18pm jdeeps23

Nice Article!

There some things that I've heard and read about Nihang Nidar Singh that are not good but than when I put all that aside I just think about his teachings and philosophy of "Shaster Vidiya" which I support. I teach Gatka at the local Gurdwara here in the states but I feel that Gatka isn't the true art form of Sikh martial arts, not even close. Gatka literally means in Persian a "stick". Gatka feels more like a warm up exercise compared to the true art form of Shaster Vidiya. Honestly I think we lost the art form of Shaster Vidiya after Maharaja Ranjit Singh's death and following the annexation of Punjab by the British when weapons and the practice of Shaster Vidya were banned. And how Gatka is very similar if not exactly the same as British Fencing, I really do believe Gatka came out of British Fencing and the lost Shaster Vidiya is the true martial art form of the Khalsa panth. It is really sad that this had happen but i'm also happy to know that there are some Nihangs like Nidar Singh who are keeping this true art form alive. I also believe the Khalsa panth became weaker and weaker after Maharaja Ranjit Singh ji’s death. All these fights, arguments in our panth have to do with us being weak minded and not staying physically fit. A huge majority of our Sikhs are physically weak compared to other people lets say African Americans. To put it in prospective, we were physically fit like the African Americans during Guru ji’s and Maharaja Ranjit Singh ji’s time. Apart from the most important thing about Sikhi "naam simran" I think Shaster Vidiya is second or at least the same. Let's say even just working out and going to the gym exercising and taking care of your body is not only physically good for you but also good for the mind psychologically. There only few Sikhs in our panth who truly adore Shasters, weapons and so on and so forth like the Nihangs. As a Khalsa, I think about this allot, that is here in the US we don’t have a Federal law that recognizes and allows us Sikhs to wear kirpan’s freely in the open and in the public. If 99% of our panth were amrit dhari and were in love with Shasters like how Guru Gobind Singh ji was, we might have had such a law passed long time ago. The sad thing is it’s not like that anymore, usually even in our own community people are looked down at and say things like he or she is an extremist or terrorist if you have a big kirpan or too many kirpans, weapons etc. etc. We all hear of the stories about how Sikhs were really strong, tall and built like lions back in the days, but have we ever thought about why they were like that? Not only did they fight in wars but they stayed physically fit all the time, hence exercising, practicing Shaster Vidiya constantly and the rough conditions of everyday life had an effect. Maybe we can’t be in the same shoes as our Sikhs from the past but we can sure go to the gym and exercise, practice Gatka or Shaster Vidiya not only to stay physically fit but to follow Guru Gobind Singh Ji’s hukam, a Sikh’s rehat is more important than a Sikh himself. On one of my trips to India I met a group of Nihangs who apart from waking up earlier in the morning (Amrit vela) to do simran and paat, they do pooja of shasters and practice Shaster Vidiya. If Dhan Guru Gobind Singh ji Maharaj praised swords and the art of war which he wrote in his own personal Granth, Sri Dasam Granth Sahib ji I think that should be enough to give us a clue that we are missing something in our panth, "Bani and Bana”. – WJKK, WJKF
September 10, 2008 - 3:56pm jdeeps23

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September 10, 2008 - 11:27am harpreetnyc

It can act as a boomerang

It can act as a boomerang also, There was a singh in eighties in Amritsar who showed us how to throw it as a boomerang, at a certain angle. It will hit the target and has the capability to come back to you but you should be able to catch it, without hurting yourself. Sadly, we never practiced and that singh went back to sachkhand. Perhaps, Sree Krishna also used to have it & called it sudarshan chakkar, he fought the war of Mahabharat and was master of its boomerang technique.

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