Sikhs are not unfamiliar with battle, neither physical nor political, here in Silicon Valley.
And on Saturday, the community is holding its first international Sikh martial arts competition at the San Jose Gurdwara Sahib, or Sikh temple, in the Evergreen hills.
The battle is over who will be the best "gatka" expert, the one who best masters a sword, a stick and a shield in an ancient rite of Sikh combat.
"This is the first international gatka contest held in California," said Sukhdev Bainiwal, a member of the San Jose Sikh temple who is in charge of the battle. The first such contest was held nine years ago in Toronto.
He said about 200 competitors from California, New York, Houston, Maryland, New Jersey, Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver and India will participate. There are four age categories, from the under-7 group to those who are in their 60s.
The winners share a total of $9,000 in cash prizes.
Gatka may be best compared to the eskrima, the martial arts of the Philippines. Bainiwal said this form of martial arts is deeply infused in the Sikh religion; the sixth guru first used this technique on the battlefield.
"It's more spiritual and more meditative," Bainiwal said.
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