'Father Of Taekwondo In Assam' To Now Fight For Peace As New Manipur CM: Meet Khemchand Singh

Last Updated:February 05, 2026, 05:18 IST

Yumnam Khemchand Singh will be at the helm of Manipur following the end of one year of President’s rule

Khemchand Singh was awarded the Black Belt Fifth Dan by the Global Traditional Taekwondo Federation in South Korea late last year, and as such, he became the first Indian to achieve the milestone. File image/News18

From teaching front kick, roundhouse kick, side kick, and back kick to young students in Guwahati in the early nineties, during the peak of militancy in Assam, Yumnam Khemchand Singh is now seen as a hope of a peacemaker in Manipur, who will be at the helm of state politics following the end of one year of President’s rule.

In the early nineties, a young, tough guy landed in Guwahati. He had just secured his Black Belt 1st Dan in Taekwondo from well-known Taekwondo expert Jimmy R Jagtiani, who is also known as the founder and father of Taekwondo in India. In Assam and the entire Northeast back then, Manipuris were well-known as martial arts experts and had created a niche for themselves. Khemchand Singh, who introduced himself as one of the exponents in the field of martial arts, started teaching his first batch of students in the premises of Nichold High School in Guwahati and also near Anuradha Cinema in the new Guwahati area. That was the year 1982, just after receiving his first Black Belt in 1981 in Lucknow.

Khemchand was normally steering his students towards martial arts as a passionate follower of the sport, and later, with well-wishers’ support, he founded the Assam Taekwondo Association, just like his guru founded the Taekwondo Federation of India in 1977. Khemchand was the founding president of Assam Taekwondo, while Bankim Das was the secretary, and the association is still running strong. “In 1983, Khemchand started a series of illustrated courses called ‘Let’s Learn Taekwondo’ in the sports magazine ‘Abhiruchi’. He was renting a house near the office of ‘Abhiruchi’ in Chenikuti, Guwahati," recalls Jiten Gogoi, a sports journalist who met him then for news articles.

Hirnaya Saikia, one of his first students, says it has been 43 years, and the Guru-Shishya Parampara is still intact. “I am very happy that my guru has become the Chief Minister of Manipur. I wish him all the good luck. I had congratulated him while he was on his way to Manipur," said Saikia. “We are also planning to felicitate him," added Saikia, who is the secretary of the All Assam Taekwondo Association.

Khemchand, who was the president of the Assam Taekwondo Association since 1982, returned to his home state of Manipur in 1991 and became involved in sports as well as social activities.

He was awarded the Black Belt Fifth Dan by the Global Traditional Taekwondo Federation in South Korea late last year, and as such, he became the first Indian to achieve the milestone.

N Biren Singh has been succeeded by Y Khemchand Singh. Two former sportspersons have become chief ministers of Manipur for the second consecutive term. Former Chief Minister Biren Singh was a footballer. He once played for the BSF in Jalandhar. Singh was a reliable player in the BSF team that won the Durand Cup in 1981 by defeating Mohun Bagan.

News politics 'Father Of Taekwondo In Assam' To Now Fight For Peace As New Manipur CM: Meet Khemchand Singh

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