" It's Jacky Chan." And this would make us wait outside MPH building for the caretaker to open the door. It would be a long wait, but we would not go anywhere. That was when we had neither television nor minima hall to go to. I was a lanky boy then, smelling of sweat and dirt.
Kungfu was everything about my childhood pastime. I was in class three when I began watching Kungfu fighting movies at village near our school. I would have two rupees wet in my hands to pay for the entry into a empty room turned movie hall. During some weekends martial arts movies were screened at Jigmi Sherubling Central School on a bulky screen that would often fail to work.
Jacky Chan was our primary inspiration, while Bruce Lee became our undying model of a majestic fighter. We wanted to become like them, humble and undefeated. This emboldened our youthful ego to feel fearless in case of any encounters with others.
My closest friend Karma Nidup and I would get into nearby woods or take long stroll on the road for practices, simulating every moves we saw in the movies. We did push-ups on the road with our fists, punched into roadside gravels with fists and fingers. Our knuckles bled but those were accomplishments we celebrated with joy.
My uncle and a mate, Ugyen Gyeltshen and I would display our magic moves on our way to school in the forest clearing beside the path to school. We did sparring to emulate moves and practice self-defense by using our finger like tiger's claws and legs like Jacky Chan.
Often after school we remained in class, closed the windows and door to practice the elegant moves. The moves of the tiger claws was my favourite. My friends called me Tiger Claws and I loved the pen name. The Eagle style and Snake strike moves were my favourite too.
We practiced fights until we got tired. At the end of fights, we would have marks of claws and talons on us, injuries beneath our shirts that parents never knew
When Van Damme, a hollywood martial art hero, came into our lives, he made me believe that body can become steel, that it can break anything with its power. Imitating him from Bloodsport movie, I hit my hands, arms and shin on trees too. Incredibly, my shin became like steel after months of hitting on apple trees. It is painless even today when I hit on wood.
Over the years, our muscles took shape and became hardened. Our punches and clawing were fast. I could perform round kicks and flying with speed and ease.
Some of the Kungfu past times became passionate hobby like. I often practiced blindfolded to hit at leaves and objects thrown at me. My senses seem to become sharper. At home I had dozen pegs driven into the ground in the apple orchard to practice balancing moves. I practiced moves by stepping from one peg to another, and staying still as I clawed the air. Often, I would hang like bats from a apple tree for minutes and push myself up to harden my stomach muscles. I tested my stomach by letting my brothers punch me on the belly. Some days, I had my brothers hit me on the arms to make myself cold to pain.
I even learnt to use stick, knife and nun-chuck skillfully. The disciplines were imitated from many martial art movies I watched at Jigmi Sherubling and at people's houses in the village.
When devils becomes us at what we love, we master it with madness. When I reached class VII at Jigsher, I joined Taekwondo team under Master Sonam Rixin. It was much easier than Kungfu I ฤบearnt. By that time I could stretch my limbs, kick and punch like a Master. In a year I was able to lift to incredible height to kick at objects and jump over ten friends in flying kick. It was a miracle that you would think it impossible.
I participated at a national Taekwondo tournament in Thimphu in 1996 and by the time I graduated class X, I had black belt certified for Taekwondo.
Years have passed without regular practice but my fist and fingers, limbs and arms are still hard and ready.
My martial gods are no more an inspiration than a fading memory of a fairytale. I now devote to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas for a spiritual Kungfu to Master for rest of my lives.
I have learnt that belts and medals, certificates and any accolades are mere ornament on the walls. The best it infuse in me is pride and ego than a spiritual meaning to live life humbly. Here I am, a medal in my own being than medal on the walls!
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