RK Sanayaima : NACO player who played CC Meet finals for three times

Seram Neken *

Manipur has a glorious past in the field of Sports. It can well be established from the rare recollections of the veteran players of the state. 'ON THE GOLDEN FOOTPRINTS' reproduces here the sports profile of veteran player RK Sanayaima from Ratneshwori Goswami's Akao Parei Chankhrabasing published in the Hueiyen Lanpao (Manipuri).

In the final match of CC Meet 1963 played between NACO and TRAU, the later had been leading by one goal until the last minute when a promising player of the dismayed NACO team equalized the score with his beautiful strike. The promising player of the NACO team was none other than Rajkumar Sanayaima of Keishamthong Elangbam Leikai.

Even after the flag of the organizing Association was pulled down half signaling the last five minutes of the final march, NACO regained its hope for the champion by scoring the golden goal. As the match finished a 1-1 draw, the final was replayed next day. And again the NACO turned out champion defeating the TRAU team by 2-1 goals.

RK Sanayaima, who actively played football from 1954 to 1963, was born on Friday, the15th March 1935 at Keishamthong Elangbam Leikai Imphal. Second son of RK Sanajaoba and RK Ongbi Ibecha Shija, Sanayaima was an all rounder player whose favourite game had been Football from the very beginning.

From class III onwards, he was educated in Tombisana School which was earlier situated at Uripok Chakrikom. When he was in class V, the school was shifted to the present location.

In an interview, the veteran player recollected that Oja Khongbantabam Tolhan, the game teacher of Tombisana School used to teach various games at the last period of every Saturday. There was a big ground stretching from the school to the present Indira Park, where they used to play various games.

From the year 1954, Sanayaima joined the NACO football team and fielded both Junior and Senior teams in Centre Forward position. Players of NACO during his time were Laishram Naba (Right In), Sen Sharma (Right Out), S. Lokeshwar (Left In), O. Iboyaima (Left Out), Lourembam Shyama (Centre Half), L. Inaocha Sharma (Right Half), Longjam Tombi (Left half), Saikhom Pratap (Right Back), Meikam Bihari (Left back) and Sougaijam Dhiren (Goalkeeper).

By 1955, RK Sanayaima began to participate in Assam Inter District Football tournaments. Along with Laishram Naba and Longjam Tombi, he was selected from the NACO team for the tournament at Jorhat. In 1957, he also joined in the Assam Inter District tournament in Shillong.

Sanayaima participated in the Bordoloi Trophy (Guwahati) and Independence Day Football Tournament (Nagaon) in 1955 and 1956 respectively. As a player of NACO, he took part in a series of tournaments held elsewhere in Assam. He also acquired football skills from the coaching camp organized at Imphal under the coach S. Mewalal in 1958.

Sanayaima and his NACO team could reach the finals of CC Meet three times in 1956, 1961 and 1963 respectively. In 1965, NACO defeated Kuki Sporting Union in finals, and in 1961, NACO became runners up while TRAU won the champions. In 1963, NACO earned the champions trophy of CC Meet defeating TRAU by 2-1 goals.

RK Sanayaima narrated an episode when he was shocked due to a head injury during the semi final match of CC Meet in 1958 played between NACO and Nagaland Eleven team. His head was injured due to collision with a Nagaland player.

According to the 79 year old Sanayaima, arrogance has no place in sports. The NACO team that played the match with utter negligence was easily defeated by the not-so-popular Nagaland team only because of lack of discipline and seriousness.

RK Sanayaima was also a prominent football referee of Manipur. He passed the examination for second class referee in 1960 and state class-I examination in 1963. By 1969, he became a national level referee. Sanayaima, who is presently the General Secretary of All Manipur Sports Association (AMSA), joined the Election office as LDC in June 1959 and subsequently promoted to SDC in 1979 before his retirement from service in 1989.

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