Darts is a popular social game among many of us as it remains quite a challenge to hit the inner bullseye same goes for archery. In the game of archery, we have bows and arrows. Even watching players aiming at the board makes us sweat right? Imagine how nerve-wrecking it would be when a person plays archery while riding a horse, now that’s a huge deal.
Have you heard of a game called horseback archery? If you haven’t, you should dig deeper! The game is popular in many foreign countries but in Malaysia, it still has a long way to go before the average Malaysian knows what is horseback archery.
Recently, Rubentheran Sivagurunathan has been in the spotlight after earning the national record of becoming the “First Indian Horseback Archer” under the Malaysia Book Of Records. The prestigious certificate was handed to him on 16th November.
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Hailing from Malacca, Rubentheran’s journey into horseback archery started in 2018 when he went for a job interview in Negeri Sembilan but unfortunately did not manage to secure the job. Disappointed with the result, he decided to take a break at Ladang Alam Warisan in Kuala Pilah. There he met a gentleman who changed his life forever. Talking about encountering the right person at the right time and destiny encounters, well Rubentheran is one such proof that life changing encounters still do happen.
He met the owner of Ladang Alam Warisan stable, Muhamad Akmal Mohamad Dahalan, who introduced him to this form of horseback riding. Both men instantly connected as Rubentheran loves horses and had also done horse riding back in Malacca.
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Muhamad Akmal shared some information regarding horseback archery with Rubentheran and offered him free training. He told Bernama Seithigal that he was surprised upon learning that a Malay man was ready to offer him training despite him being an Indian. True Malaysian spirit indeed! After 3 years of training at Ladang Merah where he learned various techniques, he secured a spot in the Malaysia Book of Records.
The 29-year-old man said he was saddened to know these skills were forgotten by many of us as these archery skills were taught in our Mahabharatham and Ramayanam. Horseback archery was one of the most crucial surviving skills long ago.
The talented Rubentheran said he would like to create more records in the coming future. He recently joined Liga Memanah Kuda Malaysia and he’s hoping to compete Internationally next year.
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He hopes to see more Indians get involved in the sport. So far, the young lad is training 6 young hopefuls in Malacca. Talking about inspirational stories, I guess his story is beyond a doubt, pure and wholly, from being rejected after a job interview to becoming a National Record Holder.
Kudos to Rubentheran Sivagurunathan and we wish you the best for your upcoming competitions.
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