Gatka

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According to ‘Mahan Kosh’ edited by Kahan Singh Nabha, ‘Gatka – a three-hand span stick, used to teach the first part of club fighting. It has a leather covering. In the right hand holding a Gatka and in left hand a ‘Phari’, two men play with each other. Persian – Khutka. (See ‘Mahan Kosh’).

Thus, Kahan Singh Nabha believes that the words ‘Khutka’ and ‘Gatka’ are used for same meaning. When we seek advice from ‘Urdu-Punjabi-Hindi Kosh’ published by the Language Department, Punjab for word ‘Khutka’, we find these meanings with other: – ‘Kutka’, ‘Mota Danda’ (motw fMfw) (cudgel), ‘Thhosa’ (Tosw) (thumb) etc.

Therefore, according to this ‘Urdu-Punjabi-Hindi Kosh’, the word ‘Khutka’ is synonymous with ‘Kutka’. The word ‘Kutka’ has been translated into ‘short cudgel’ by ‘Punjabi English Dictionary’ Published by Singh Brothers, Amritsar.

According to ‘Mahan Kosh’ edited by Kahan Singh Nabha, ‘Kutka’ is ‘Chhota Ate Mota Sota’ (Cotw Aqy motw sotw) (short thick stick). Let us again consult ‘Punjabi English Dictionary’ Published by Singh Brothers, Amritsar, this time for word ‘Gatka’. According to this dictionary, the word ‘Gatka’ stands for ‘a leather covered club used in fencing’.

According to ‘Standard Illustrated Dictionary of The Hindi Language’ compiled and edited by Prof. R. C. Pathak, the word ‘Gatka’ means ‘a leather-covered club used in fencing, a truncheon, a mace, a club.’

Thus, comparatively the terms ‘Khutak’, ‘Khutka’, ‘Kutka’, ‘Gatka’, ‘Gadka’, ‘Gadd’ and ‘Gadaa’ are close to one another, if not completely the same. These words are translated into ‘Mota Danda’, ‘Chhota Ate Mota Sota’, cudgel, truncheon and club.

There could be many kinds of ‘Kutka’ or ‘Gatka’ depending on their size or shape. This can be compared to ‘Khanda’ and ‘Talvaar’. Both words have been used for sword. At the same time, the word ‘Khanda’ is used for a particular kind of double-edged sword also. In the same way, ‘Saif’ is a sword, but of a different kind. Well, after this discussion given above, we reach conclusion that the word ‘Gatka’ stands for cudgel, club or short thick stick.

Comparatively the terms ‘Khutak’, ‘Khutka’, ‘Kutka’, ‘Gatka’, ‘Gadka’, ‘Gadd’ and ‘Gadaa’ are closer to one another, if not completely the same. These words are translated into ‘Mota Danda’, ‘Chhota Ate Mota Sota’, cudgel, truncheon and club. The word Gatka is of Indian origin. The martial art, in which Gatka is used as a weapon, is called Gatkabaazi. Because the main weapon used in this martial art is Gatka, so people often call this martial art Gatka itself, instead of Gatkabaazi.  Now, it is very common in Sikh circles to use word Gatka for all traditional martial arts, in which traditional weapons are used.