MaolKeki Foundation mourns loss of its founding Trustee
Date : 6th May 2021

Dr. Gurumayum Tonsana Sharma

MaolKeki Foundation mourns the loss of a great mentor and founding Trustee

It is with profound sadness that MaolKeki Foundation announces the loss of its founding trustee and mentor, Dr. Gurumayum Tonsana Sharma, following a brief period of illness.

Dr. Tonsana grew up in Imphal, Manipur, India, attended Johnstone Higher Secondary School and Dhanamanjuri College before graduating in Civil Engineering from Ranchi University in 1973. Starting as a Junior Engineer in the Public Works Department of the Government of Manipur in the same year, he rose through the ranks to retire as the Chief Engineer in 2009.

A true believer in continuous learning with an everlasting thirst for knowledge, he completed a Master of Engineering from the University of Roorkee, now the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, in 1977, a Post Graduate degree in Hydrology from Padua University, Italy, on a UNESCO program in 1986, and a PhD from IUEP, Moscow University, in 2001. His latest academic accomplishment was to earn a Bachelor of Law degree with overall third position from the Royal Academy of Law, Manipur, at the ripe age of 70 in 2020.

During his entire career as an engineer in the Public Works Department, he maintained an unblemished record as a man of high principle, uncompromising integrity and fairness across all rank and file. Dr. Tonsana also played a key role in many of the large engineering projects in Manipur and, for a brief period, was posted on Central Government deputation as a Superintending Engineer with the Brahmaputra Board, North Lakhimpur, Assam.

Following his retirement from active government service, he launched the Manipur Democratic People’s Front (MDPF) in 2009, a regional political party to create a future based on good governance built on the foundations of Manipur’s own agenda. As a party candidate, he contested the Manipur State Assembly and Lok Sabha (Member of Parliament) Elections using these platforms to highlight the need for change in Manipur and shaking the tree to ensure that law makers in the state kept the mandates they were elected for.

In 2017, he co-founded the MaolKeki Foundation, coined with letters from the names of his parents, Gurumayum Madhumangol Sharma and Chanamthabam Ketuki Devi, to catalyse development in Manipur through focused philanthropic initiatives in Agriculture, Education and Healthcare. As a mentor and guide, he provided valuable counsel to many in the organization combining his vast experience, education and knowledge.

His last acts of kindness were to visit his alma mater, Johnstone Higher Secondary School, in April 2021 to establish three scholarships to support bright students from poor economic backgrounds, and give his blessings to develop a high-rise building he had started constructing to provide affordable, high quality, accommodation to essential workers in Imphal.

Dr. Tonsana is survived by his wife, son, daughter-in-law and three grandchildren who were all by his side in his last days before departing for heavenly abode. We miss Pabung dearly, and we will continue his legacy and the good work he started with the Foundation.

About MaolKeki Foundation

MaolKeki Foundation is a pioneering organization established with the purpose of catalysing positive development in Manipur, India, primarily in the areas of agriculture, education and healthcare. To date, the Foundation has trained over 2,500 farmers across Manipur and provided last-mile health assessments to over 3,000 farmers and their families.

The Foundation has also established four annual scholarships at St. Stephen’s College, Delhi, and Johnstone Higher Secondary School, Imphal, Manipur, to support bright Manipuri students from poor economic backgrounds.

MaolKeki Foundation is registered under the Indian Trusts Act, 1882, and more information can be found at http://www.maolkekifoundation.org. To learn more or support any of our initiatives, please get in touch at contact(AT)maolkekifoundation(DOT)org.

MaolKeki Foundation
Lairik Yengbam Makha Leikai
Imphal, 795 010
Manipur, India