Show keeness to learn Punjabi martial art UK students go gaga over Gatka
Amritsar –
Describing the martial art of ‘Gatka’, practised for self defence as awesome, a group of students from UK on a visit to the city have said it was a new experience for them. Thrilled and excited are the reactions that Emily Corran, Laura Watts, Sophia Preuss and Maria Patoczka, students from Oxford University UK, expressed after watching a performance of ‘Gatka’ here.
They said they would also try to learn the art, perfected by the Sikhs, for self defence during their stay here. These students are here under the United Sikhs Oxford University Travel Air English Language Teaching Programme. They are teaching English to the students of Standard Public High School in Dhulka village. They will also interact with the students of Khalsa College.
Maria Patoczka said they had an amazing experience as the people here were social, affectionate and warm to strangers.
She said compared with the students in the UK, the children here were more disciplined and gave more respect to their teachers.
The students here were ambitious and wanted to study in England and go to other countries.
These guests also attended music classes and performed community service at Pingalwara. The team was exposed to village life during field trips. The group also donated 400 pounds to the Pingalwara society which were collected by them from the students in UK under the charity programme.
Kiran Kaur, coordinator, said students from Khalsa College and Standard Public High School, Dhulka village were taught English by the UK students under the CAOF (change agents of the future) and STARAE (scholarship as a tool to accelerate rural academic excellence) programmes. She said the students from the UK acted as mentors and role models for the students here.
Emily Corran said initially they found it difficult to interact with the children, but were able to convey their message with the movement of their hands.
She said the students in Khalsa College and at Dhulka village were excited to meet the group and wanted them to come again to teach them.
Laura Watts said the visit to the city was a cultural experience and gave them an insight into the life in Punjab, it’s food, people and culture, and broadened their knowledge.
