By Rabi Banerjee
Ethnic conflict traumatises India’s Olympic medal hopefuls from the northeast
Our mummy strongest: Five-time world champion Mary Kom often worries about her family in Manipur; Photo by Salil Bera
Living in war zones can make people battle-ready. Kim Rose, 15, believes she already is. A resident of Manipur's Senapati district, a hotbed of insurgency, she grew up watching gun-battles between security forces and separatist militants.
Kim's generation has been witness to how conflict has bloodied the lush farms and shattered the serene beauty of Manipur. Perhaps because of the aggression instilled in them at a tender age, many children here want to become pugilists.
Kim is no exception. She does not like studying, as she believes being educated does not get one anything in Manipur, and that only sports (boxing in her case) can improve the lives of people here.
But, Kim's father had disagreed. Youngest among his three daughters, Kim was a pampered doll. Jang Khogin would not let her play the “deadly game”.
Six months ago, she fled to her uncle based in a housing village in Imphal, where many shining sports personalities of Manipur stay. “Life in this part of the world is deadlier than boxing,” says Kim. “Some friends told me that they were going to train in the recently-launched boxing academy of the golden daughter of Manipur, M.C. Mary Kom, who made India proud through boxing. So I decided to join them.”
However, today, Kim is disillusioned. Owing to the blockades imposed by two separatist groups for last five months, the friends who inspired her have left the academy, as their families were under severe financial strain.
First, the Kuki tribals imposed a blockade on the state from July 31 to October 31. Their demand: a new district called Sardar Hills to be carved out of Senapati. Then, the United Naga Council, a separatist front of Naga tribes, imposed a blockade from August 21 to November 29. Their demand: no Naga-dominated region (Senapati) should be bifurcated.
The Nagas, who lifted the blockade ahead of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's Manipur visit on December 3, have now threatened to resume it from mid-December.
People went through hell, as the separatists blocked all entry points into Manipur, virtually cutting off trade links with the rest of the world. The state, which was left numb after the Armed Forces Special Powers Act was imposed many years ago—thanks to the more than 40 rebel groups active in Manipur—slipped into paralysis. The people were forced to buy essentials at many times the actual price.
The cost of farming skyrocketed, as fertilisers and fuel became costlier. Petrol and diesel are sold in the black market at 1200 per litre, and LPG at 12,000 per cylinder. Consequently, prices of food products leapfrogged five times.
“National food inflation usually does not affect us, as our state produces huge quantities of vegetables and pulses. But because of the blockade, prices of food items in Manipur reached price levels found in metro cities for the first time,” notes Thangjem Kyoun, an NGO worker in Manipur. “The per capita income in Manipur is lower than the national level. How can the people here bear this huge price rise?”
The blockades have left Manipur's jewels—the star pugilists—distressed, too. Mary Kom, Sandhya Rani, Suranjoy Singh and Devendra Singh are toiling to make it big in the London Olympics. The tension at home has made their preparation all the more stressful.
Trouble and the troubled: The five-month economic blocakde imposed by separatists caused acute shortage of essentials such as fuel, food and medicines ; Photo by Salil Bera
“What can I tell you about my problem? Living in Manipur itself is a challenge for anybody. Forget about me, everyone would have to face a lot of problems, socially and financially, if he or she wants to become something here,” says Mary Kom, a five-time world champ.
Even while camping in Delhi, concerns about her family trouble her, says the Khel Ratna awardee. Hailing from conflict-marred Thoubal district, Mary Kom lives in the games village in Imphal with her husband and two kids. But her father and siblings live in the village.
Mary says she gets calls from home even during practice sessions, as her farmer father cannot meet family expenses because of the blockade. “Trust me, I could not concentrate while practising in Delhi after hearing the plight of my parents and siblings,” she says.
Mary shuttles between Delhi and Manipur often, suspending her practice sessions, to look after father and siblings in Thoubal, and her husband and kids in Imphal, who are often hassled by extortionists. Despite the state being under CRPF cover, underground elements often demand money from the relatively affluent people like Mary Kom.
Shanti Singh, brother of boxing hero Dingko Singh ; Photo by Salil Bera
That she is a national star or, even worse, that she is a deputy superintendent of police, do not deter the extortionists. Says Mary Kom: “Their attitude is horrible. They don't even request, they yell at us that money has to be paid. Oh my God, this is my Manipur!”
Mary Kom has got a security guard from Manipur government, but he is unarmed and cannot deal with any “real threat”. However, the four dogs she bought over the past four years offer a sense of security. “They look after my family when I am away. They are the real security guards for me,” she says with a smile.
Determined to bag a gold medal in London, Mary Kom is so immersed in boxing that she sometimes forgets her husband's profession or the date of birth of her twins. Like her disciple Kim, she had once defied her daddy's diktat not to take up boxing, as it was deemed unsuitable for women. But today the sport has turned out to be a godsend for the entire family.
LPG price zooming up, boxer Suranjoy Singh had to rely on firewood for cooking at his wedding ; Photo by Salil Bera
“Like my case I tell everyone that they should let their sons or daughters to play whatever sport they want. Otherwise, they cannot survive in Manipur,” adds Mary Kom.
Agrees Suranjoy Singh. “To be honest there is hardly anything left for the youth of Manipur other than sports,” says the Bangkok Asian games bronze winner and a London Olympics hopeful. “Can you imagine a situation where you have to buy petrol paying five times more than the actual price? Nobody cares! The nation has allowed this plight to continue for months.”
Though posted in Mumbai, Suranjoy, like Mary Kom, feels the heat whenever his family is in trouble. “Often I would get calls from home explaining how survival is becoming difficult for them. I send them money and essential goods, but the anxiety about their situation remains,” says the Navy officer. “You cannot imagine how hard the last few qualifying rounds have been for me. I lost a couple of times; I could not concentrate.”
Suranjoy, who got married on November 7, says he would settle down in Mumbai, like another boxing hero from Manipur, Dingko Singh. The former Asian Games gold medallist shifted base to Mumbai a few years ago to stay away from the heat of insurgency.
“He told us that he does not want to return, but he regularly helps us financially. My brother's money came as a great relief for us during the blockade,” says Shanti Singh, Dingko's brother, who lives in Manipur.
“Trust me, I love my Manipur, like every son of the soil does. But I am sorry to see the situation there,” says Dingko, a boxing coach now. “We should not blame the insurgent groups alone... the government should have acted sensibly. Which nation allows a blockade for six months? This is amazing!”
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