Sougaijam Somorjit : "A Specific Policy for the Veteran players required"

Seram Neken *

'ON THE GOLDEN FOOTPRINTS' reproduces here the sports profile of veteran football player S. Somorjit from Ratneshwori Goswami's Akao Parei Chankhrabasing published in the Hueiyen Lanpao (Manipuri). .

Football requires three B's – Ball control, Body control and Brain control. In Manipur we can assume the three B's of football as Chongtham Benudhar, Ayekpam Biramangol and Sougaijam Biren who made great sacrifices for football development in the state. These words were once uttered by NIS Coach W. Kaminikumar to Sougaijam Somorjit who was a known football goalkeeper of Manipur. During the 1950s and 60s.

Born in a family of sports in January 1938, Sougaijam Somorjit was a known football goal keeper of Manipur. Son of S. Ibotomba and Soubam Ningol Madhumalti of Yaishkul Sougaijam Leirak, he began to play football from the year 1955-56. With him, the Churachand School got the champions of Inter School sports for three consecutive years i.e. 1955, 1956 and 1957. From the year 1958, Somorjit began to participate in the state league.

Before playing for Yaiskul Athletics Club, S. Somorjit had joined in a number of sporting clubs such as Pragati Sanga, the Young Physique, Manipur Brothers Sporting Union etc. From 1958, Somorjit played for the Manipur Eleven team. His uncle Sougaijam Dhiren accompanied him to various places for the inter district tournaments outside Manipur. He also took part in the Football Coaching conducted by S. Mewalal in 1958.

He was also a player of Imphal Sporting Club along with Wahengbam Mathang, Tondonba, S. Lokeshwar. By 1964, Somorjit became a player of Yaiskul Athletics Club which lifted champion's title of the CC Meet by defeating TRAU.

S. Somorjit, also known as Stylist Goalkeeper of Manipur, mentioned the names of his football colleagues in Yaishkul Athletics club during the 1964 CC Meet as L. Shyama (Captain), Naba (Goalkeeper), L. Ramkumar (Forward), S. Ojit (Forward), RK Madhurjit (Centre Forward), L. Kumar (Half), L. Kaminikumar (half), L. Gyaneshore (Side Back), G. Yaima (Back), Leipaklotpa (Back), Abung (Back), S. Binoi (Back), Imocha (Back) etc. In the year 1966, YAC team under his captainship got the runners up position in CC Meet while Imphal Sporting Club won the match.

Citing involvement of all communities in Manipur sports, Somorjit recalled the names of football players belonging to Bengali, Tangkhul and Kabui families as Ajoy Sen Sharma, Phoni Mukherji, Paokhogen Kipgen, Colonel Bahadur, Yangam Kuki, Yarsho Luikham, Yangkhahao, Phareng Tangkhul, Aboy, Romeo, Baorei, Sengam, Senkhao, Lungshim Seiza, Mangjakai, Songjilel etc. According to the veteran player, football players of Manipur during the pre-war period were Nongmaithem Rebati, H. Baruni, Jugindro, Nongmaithem Giri, Sougaijam Dhiren, AK Manihar, Major Dayamoi, Baorei, Sangam, Yangmasho Seiza. Etc.

Although S. Somorjit was selected to join the Assam Team for the first time in 1962, the tournament was postponed due to Chinese aggression. Next year in 1963, he along with four other Manipuri players participated in the trial selection. Out of the five contenders, Somorjit, Laishram Naba and Basantakumar Kabui got the selection for participation in Santosh Trophy in 1963.

Somorjit stated that former sports minister Santosh Mohan Dev had been a noble and knowledgeable selector of the Assam football team. During his tenure as president of Assam Football Federation, he was responsible for upgrading Manipuri players to the national level.

Narrating the history of football movement in Manipur, Somorjit said that football was introduced for the first time in Manipur by the sepoys of Pathan Regiment. Later, with footballs brought by educationist William Pettigrew from Calcutta, three teams were formed under Churachand Maharaj. Football matches were organized among the Maharaj Churachand Team, Johnston School Team and Battalion Football Team. After the first world war, Manipur Town Club was established and it's team participated in the Football tournament held in Lamding (Assam) with Phoni Mukherji as team manager and Rabi Parakh as team captain.

The veteran player added that after the second world war, Manipur Sports Association was formed and Manipur football team got affiliated to Assam Football Association by 1947. For over 25 years, Manipuri players played under the Assam team, thereby losing their opportunities for fielding at the national level. By 1973, Manipur Football team received direct affiliation to All India Football Federation. Some of the legendary goalkeepers of Manipur, as Somorjit recollected, were Sougaijam Dhiren, Sougaijam Lalit, Ng. Jugindrokumar, O. Yaiskul, Gobardhon, K. Gopeshore, Dipak Limboo, Ibohanbi etc.

He expressed satisfaction over the honour extended to the five veteran Santosh Trophy players of Manipur during a CC Meet closing function sometime back. It was during the time of Governor Chintamani Panigrahi that S. Somorjit, Syama, Songkhohao, Naba and Basanta Kabui were honoured with a shawl with reading out of their bio-data.

for feedbacks email to: nekenseram(at)yahoo(dot)co(dot)in