Nitin A Gokhale is NDTV’s Defence and Strategic Affairs Editor. He is the author of ‘Sri Lanka: from war to peace’ and ‘The Hot Brew’
Sitrep
‘Chak De’ Manipur M ary Kom, Kunjarani Devi, Thoiba Singh Sanamacha. Names that may not ring an instant bell but in the sporting arena they are legends in their own right.
Mary Kom is a top notch woman boxer. Sanamacha Chanu and Kunjarani Devi have been leading international women weightlifters. Thoiba Singh was an important member of the Indian Olympic hockey team. What makes it more commendable is all of them have honed their sporting skills in a distant, insurgency-ridden north eastern state of Manipur. I remember a stormy July day almost a decade ago in Imphal when the Chanu household sat glued to the telly, praying silently for one simple thing—that there should be no power cuts for the next couple of hours in the day. The electricity did not trip that day, and they could watch their daughter Sanamacha win three weightlifting golds in the 53 kg category at the recent Manchester Commonwealth Games. Twenty-four hours earlier, another family in the neighbourhood was partying, for a similar feat. N. Kunjarani Devi had once again found her magical touch to pick up three golds in the 48 kg category. But Manipur’s contribution to India’s unprecedented success at recent Commonwealth Games in the past decade did not stop with these two. India’s women’s hockey team, which showed uncharacteristic grit to take the podium with a golden goal in Manchester, was led by a Manipuri, W. Surjalata Devi. Three others in the team—goalkeeper Ksh. Tingonleima, Pakpi Devi and M. Sangai Ibehmal Chanu—all belonged to the state. Even in the October 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games Manipur’s contribution to India’s medal haul was significant. So what makes a tiny state with a small population of 23 lakh a sports powerhouse—producing more than 150 international andover 500 national players in the past 20 years?
30 July 2011 purple beret
“We are naturally gifted to do well in sports. Look at our footballers. We don’t have proper facilities or sponsorship, but we are still among the top 4-5 teams in the country. If all our players who have migrated to other states are allowed to play in the Manipur team, we are good enough to beat the best”
