Shimla-the birthplace of the Durand Cup and the Indian Air Force ...

Sitrep
Mary 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
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’
‘Chak De’ Manipur
“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”