Chandigarh: Bengaluru is poised to transform into the epicenter of India’s ancient martial arts and rich cultural traditions, as the nation’s most exceptional sports talents and cultural virtuosos converge for a monumental national gathering from November 7 to 9, 2025. The prestigious event, 2nd National Cultural Pythian Games, promises to shape the future trajectory of the sport across the country.
During this exhilarating sporting extravaganza at the GKVK, University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, the National Gatka Association of India (NGAI), the oldest national Gatka governing body affiliated with World Gatka Federation and Asian Gatka Federation, would host its 2nd Federation Gatka Cup. This event would be held concurrently with 2nd National Cultural Pythian Games, in a strategic partnership with the Pythian Council of India (PCI). This dual event is meticulously designed to propel the ancient game of Gatka onto a prominent global platform, he added. The PCI chairman Bijender Goel and president Shantanu Agrahari commended the extensive collaboration with all traditional sports and cultural organizations. Disclosing this, the NGAI president Harjeet Singh Grewal, a State Awardee, announced that during this dual championship, the NGAI would select a national Gatka squad. These Gatkabaz would represent the nation at India’s debut in 1st International Pythian Cultural Games in Moscow next year. He elaborated that participants would not only fiercely vie for medals but would also be honored with dual certification.
Gatka promoter Grewal confirmed that the competitions would showcase formidable under-19 Gatka events from over ten states, who would demonstrate their prowess across in Gatka-Soti and Farrie-Soti disciplines in both individual and team formats.