SHILLONG, India (AP) — Thirty archers armed with bamboo bows and arrows sit on a platform awaiting instructions. Then they aim for a cylinder of straw from 60 feet away. They each have 34 arrows to shoot in four minutes. They unleash one arrow after another, their moves languid and practiced. The next round of competition soon follows, when archers must shoot 24 arrows in three minutes.
The ancient skill of archery thrives in Shillong, the capital of Meghalaya state in northeastern India. Every day, behind a row of liquor stores and next to a car garage, this event takes place except Sundays and holidays.
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