By leaps & bounds: How a Tripura farmer’s son became a Muay Thai champ

Muay Thai, also known as Thai Boxing, is the national sport and ancient cultural martial art of Thailand. It is said to have originated around the 14th century. What separates martial art from others is that it entails the use of every part of the limb as an attack and defence system. This is the reason why it is also known as the ‘art of eight limbs.’ The eight limbs that are being referred to are both fists, elbows, knees and shins. In the late 20th century, Muay Thai became very popular and the art form began to spread around the world.

The state of Tripura was also touched by this popularity as a few young men began to take an interest in learning it. Today, the state has achieved much recognition thanks to a Muay Thai champion, Chandrakanta Debbarma, who has brought many accolades to the state. He won the Gold medal at the National Championship held in Mussoorie in 2015, at Gujarat in 2016, and he won the Silver Medal in Meghalaya in 2017. He also won a Gold medal at the North East Youth Festival held in Sikkim in 2019. Seeing all this achievement in national competitions he was selected to represent India at IFMA Muay Thai World Championship in Bangkok in 2019. Sadly, due to an injury received during training, he had to cancel his participation in the competition.

Talking about his journey, Chandrakanta says that he was drawn to martial arts because he loved fighting as a child. He was athletic and loved sports in every form. As a fighter, he likes to attack during the game. “Whereas I prefer attacking, it also depends on who the opponent is. Sometimes it is smarter to act in defence,” he says. Chandrakanta’s skills must be seen to be believed. His biggest strength lies in his ability to kick hard. One time he knocked out an opponent with a single kick in the knee. His stamina is also a thing of legends. It is rumoured that he runs 30 km a day.