Aling Pinggam
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Aling Pinggam
Contents |
His sport
Kick Boxing
Highest rank: World No.6 in the 55-60 Weight Categories.
Milestones
Sports
1987 - 4th Place, Kata/ 12th Annual Mas Oyama Karate Tournament,
1988 - 3rd Place, Kata/ Ryu Renshi-Dan Karate Invitational Championships,
1989 –Bronze Medal/ All India Black Belt Open Fight, Dimapur,
1990 –Gold Medal/ All India Full Contact Karate Championship, Mokokchung. 1st Place/ 1st World Kick Boxing Open Championships”, Yokohama,
1991 –2nd place/ Muay Thai Kick Boxing Open Championship, in Bangkok (Akshay Kumar ranked 4th).
1992- Gold/ 5th Brucelee Memorial C’ship, Tokyo Japan
1995 – Gold/ Fourth Asian Kick Boxing Open Championship, Bangkok
1996 - 4th Place, Kumite/ Mas Oyama Kyokushin Karate Championships, Japan,
1997 – World No.6 Rank and Gold / 2nd World Kick Boxing Black Belt Open Fight, Hongkong for India and Reached
1999 – Participated: IVth World Karate Championship Hannover, Germany
Political career
General Secretary Arunachal Pradesh Youth Congress, by Mrs Sonia Gandhi, President AICC
2004- Contested Panchayati Raj Election as ASM, and won the Election
2011- Selected President, Libo Ramo Bokar Welfare Society.
Biography
(The following is adapted from Arunachal News,⋅ August 7, 2011; AkshayKumar and www.world-newspaper.com Martial Arts)
Roots
Aling Pinggam is from Arunachal Pradesh, Mechukha Sub-division, the Pailibo Adi tribe, and Yapik village.
Inspirations
The films of Bruce Lee, especially his movie Enter the Dragon fired his interest in martial arts. His other inspirations have been his master S. Okenjeet and his childhood friends Dr. Taking Gammi ,Sub- inspector Tabong Passar, Er Marge Lomi, MP Apok Jamir, AIGP Akala Jamir. Lanu Jamir (IAS) now Goa DC , Takam Sorang Former MLA and Toyashi of Japan.
Naga officers, it will be seen, were his major benefactors.
Early career
At the age of 15, Mr. Aling enrolled for Karate Training at one of the small Karate clubs in in Mokokchung District (Nagaland), where he grew up in his college days. Due to his keen interest in the training he progressed rapidly and eventually became the National and International Championship.
Life turned dark when his Master P. Shasi Walling suddenly died. He had no option than to leave his karate club. During those years he also acquired an interest in Kick Boxing and Muay Thai and took up Kick Boxing Karate. He request Sensei Oken Jeet Sandam to admit me in his club, Sensei Oken was the then Black 5th Dan, who also engaged in intense showy or spiritual discipline as well. At the Dojo, He trained directly under Oken Jeet’s patronage the then highest-ranked master in Indian,. This was his introduction to Kick Boxing and he very fortunate about and humbly grateful for.
For one year, from 1987 to 1988, He trained six days a week in one and a half hour classes, usually twice a day, six days in a row, which were all taught by Sensei Oken Jeet. He was his first student in his new Dojo and became one of his first three brown belts or second kyus, and his first junior brown belt or second kyu in his Dojo. He also had the honor of doing three kata demonstrations within a group (students from the headquarters Dojo) in the years between 1987 to 88 at three Knockdown Tournaments. Then in 1988, the style was changed to World Oyama Karate Organization or W.O.K.O. when then Saiko Shihan created his own aforesaid style and thus, became known as Shokokai.
Yokohama
He started Shukokai Karate and Kick Boxing in Yokohama, Japan under the guidance of Rob Milner (black belt 7th dan) and Sensei Naoka Toyashi (black belt 5th dan). Later he learnt Thai Boxing in Bangkok. He is black belt 4th dan.
When he started teaching in India in his early days it was very difficult to modify true karate teaching for Indian people , It was an exact opposite from Foreign karate students. He established a Kick Boxing Karate dojo at Naharlagun and Itanagar in the year 1997-98. He also opened clubs in Mokokchung, Nagaland; and Kolkata. Nagaland club is the only authentic Japanese full time dojo in India. It is still run by his Naga black belt student master Tumpang Jamir Ao.
He was in Yokohama for one year and three months. During his early days at Yokohama he felt lost mainly because he did not know the Japanese language and the people in Yokohama barely spoke English. He felt like droping out and returning home but his chief coach Sensei Toyashi held him back assuring him all help and support. He is thankful to the Nagaland State Sport Council and Indian Kick Boxing Federation who sponsored and sent him to Japan for undergoing rigorous training under Rob Milner at the international headquarters of Shukokai Karate school in the year 1987.
With Akshay Kumar, the future star
After the completion of his course in Yokohama, he left for Bangkok in 1988 to train in Muay Thai. he stayed at a hotel called Nirma which was owned by a Punjabi, and joined a Muay Thai dojo nearby. On the first day at the Dojo one of the Korean students told him that there was another Indian student who used to attend the evening classes – his name was Akshay Kumar.
Akshay could not believe Aling was Indian, when he started speaking in Hindi he was very surprised. At night around 10:00 pm he came to Aling’s room and took him to the staff room, a small room with a TV, packed with Bollywood and martial arts movie cassettes. Akshay told him that Nirma was owned by his mom’s elder brother and he was working there as a chef / marketing assistant.
The next day after he met Akshay, he requested the Sensei to change his class to the evening session so that Akshay and he could attend the class together. The name of the club was Awang Thai Chi Chaw and Muay Thai School run by Muay Thai (Thai Kick) federation of Thailand. After a week, his mom allowed them to stay together in Akshay’s room. Every morning he used to teach him some kata and fighting technique for higher belt, in return he used to pay his food bills in the hotel.
Akshay told Aling that he was born as Rajiv Om Hari Bhatia in Armristar to a middle class Punjabi family. His father had a Government job in Delhi so he grew up in Delhi. His father changed his name to Akshay when he was in class X in Don Bosco school. Akshay always stood by the principle of martial arts, “Martial arts begins and ends with courtesy”, and he was admired for that trait. A black belt holder in Thai Chi Chau (Thai kick boxing), he participated in many demonstration during Bangkok days.
Aling was stunned to see him on the big screen in the year 1990 or 91 at the Mokokchung Eastern cinema hall! When he told his friends that the hero in the film was his best friend when he was abroad none of them believed him. However they were convinced later when he showed them the photos of Akshay and him of Bangkok days.
Aling left for India after three months in Bangkok.
Back to Nagaland
After returned from abroad In 1994 at the request of his friends, Mr. Aling then decided to start a dojo at VK Town under Zunebhoto District in Nagaland, with just a handful of students. The interest shown by the people who wanted to learn Kick Boxing karate was so great that he found it impossible to cope with the classes without seeking assistant instructors.
As there was no other karate instructors in VK town at that time, He then teach personally without charging fees to Angang Leo of Khensa village and Akala of Ungma village of Mokokchung District for Assistant Instructor course every morning and evening for 4 hours in the club. During that time in Oyama Karate, which is his Sensei’s/Master’s last name and defined as: “big” (O) & “mountain” (yama),”He competed in five kata and free-fighting tournaments. He placed in all five in kata and placed in one of three kumite competitions . He enjoyed training under then Saiko Shihan (Soshu), and although we trained bare-knuckle and bare-shin, it was in this traditional formatted Japanese style of karate that He immersed myself into and thus, found my “Original Face” (countenance) or True Nature.
Training in Thailand
The name of the club was Pattaya International Fighting GymThai School run by Muay Thai Kick Boxing Federation of Thailand. Pattaya Kombat Village is the one and only place in the world where you can find the three most vital aspects of MMA all under one roof.
At Pattaya Kombat Village he have Thai national fighters to teach you their original native sport of Muay Thai (not just some tourist trap), a BJJ Instructor Former MMA Fighter and a Professional boxer from England to cover the often over looked aspect of Western boxing, all three aspects of the MMA Instructor Program will be overseen by 2 time Muay Thai World Champion Christian Daghio. All of our instructors are not only world class at teaching their respective skill in MMA but they are also world-class fighters.
Going many different gyms in many different countries can become very expensive as well as very time consuming, by training at Pattaya Kombat Group you can get the best from all over the world in one visit at one gym. With Mixed Martial Arts being the fastest growing sport in the world you will not only learn to compete but you can learn a skill to help others and make a living for yourself.
The MMA Instructor program at Pattaya Kombat Group is divided into three levels to advance your personal skill an preparation to teach others
1988-90: Japan
Then in beginning of 1988-90, He went to Japan the Honbu/Headquarters Shukokai Dojo and decided to start over again in rank (status), meaning at Black belt He trained 3 hrs a day, in three hour classes, again under Rob Milner Black Belt 7th Dan (formerly Saiko Shihan) and Naoko Toyashi the then BBH 5th dan. However, He did not compete at that juncture. Simply, He trained for the pure joy of it, to see Soshu and take his class, which was always the best. This also reinforced a lot of the techniques that he taught and instilled when He first started . He was in Yokohama for one year and three months. He remember his days in Japan; during his early days at Yokohama he felt lost mainly because he did not know the Japanese language and the people in Yokohama barely spoke English. He felt like droping out and returning home but his chief coach Sensei Toyashi held him back assuring him all help and support. He thankful to the Nagaland State Sport Council, Indian Kick Boxing Federation and Oken Jeet Sandham his master, who sponsored and sent me to Japan for undergoing rigorous training under Rob Milner at the international headquarters of Shukokai Karate school in the year 1987.
The 1990s
The fourth World Karate Championship in Hanover, Germany: The tournament was organised by World Karate Association (WKA) in the year 1999, Aling was the only Indian participant to reach the quarter finals.
In 1992, he won the gold for India in Japan, in sparring in the Jr. black belt category, in the 5th Bruce Lee Memorial Martial Arts Championship, which was organised by the Japan Karate Federation (JKF).
To participate as representative of India in WKC – 1999 in Hanover Germany he was financed by Directorate Sports and Youth Affairs Government of Arunachal due to the interest of Late Miss Sangey Lhaden (IAS) the then Secretary Sports Govt of Arunachal . In 1995, he the gold in Thailand, in the 55-60 kg catogery in sparring in the 9th Asian Thai Boxing open Championship, it was organised by the Thai Boxing and World Full Contact Karate Do Association Thailand Unit.
Bruce Lee Memorial Martial arts Open Championship
Being selected to represent Indian in the 5th Bruce Lee Memorial Martial arts Open Championship was one of the most exciting moments of Aling’s life. It was in the year 1992, and was organized by the JKF and sanctioned by the World Union Of Karate Do Organisation. This was his first time participating in an International arena.
The selection and belt fight was held in Imphal under the chief judge of Sensei S. Okenjeet. Six Indians including a lady fighter from Shillong were selected, he was choosen to lead the team to Tokyo to representative India. The tournament was held at the Akio Horiuchi hall in Tokyo. Hunato Hami, a close friend of the late Bruce Lee, was the chief official at the 5th WBMMAOC.
At 4th WORLD KARATE CHAMPIONSHIP 1999 in Hanover, he had kicked some European competitors very hard by accidently. He knocked one of them flat once and jumped back up, shock off the referee. That type of spirit is excellent. He was bleeding at the lips and sucked the blood back so that the referee could not see it. Aling feels he really should have been disqualified for it, and afterwards the opponent came up and apologist and he said, “Its nothing”
Aling remains black belt 4th dan (Yondan). After entering politics and business, he has left Karate but sometimes he practices 30 minutes in order to keep himself fit and look young like Akshay!
