Dinesh Leitanthem : From wresting world titles to toiling in brickfield

Premchand Thongam *

Dinesh Leitanthem :: Pix - Chronicle News Service / Premchand Thongam

Manipur is known as the powerhouse of sports in India, but the reality is far different for the sportspersons who have brought glory to the state and the country. Many of these athletes have been forced or are on the brink of looking for any employment opportunity, even if it is as a daily wager, to survive and look after their families.

In such a situation, it is hard to say whether more sportspersons would come forward to help Manipur uphold its reputation as the powerhouse of sports. One such player is Dinesh Leitanthem of Thangalawai, who once won the titles of Junior Mr World, Junior Mr Asia and Mr Indian Improvement of the Year in different World and Asian Body Building and Physique Championships.

He now works at a brickfield in Patsoi to survive. On Monday, a video of Dinesh was uploaded on his Facebook account showing him working in a brickfield in Patsoi area. The post was shared by his friends and soon went viral. In his post, Dinesh conveyed "if all our wishes were fulfilled no would be tired or sad.

Although the reality may not be what we imagined and may face setbacks, we should never stop working hard. No one will know or care how another family is living. Everyone will die someday. It's only a matter of who will die first or last," he said, while ending his video with a prayer to the Almighty to bless his family.

While his post did not revealed much details, people only knew that he was currently working at a brickfield to make ends meet. However, one of his instructors and former Junior Mr Asia & Senior Mr Asia title holder Kishan Nepram shared Dinesh's post and soon, everyone knew he (Dinesh) was a body builder who had won various accolades for the state.

Dinesh won the silver medal at the Junior Mr Asia and the title of Junior Mister World in 2017, Junior Mister Asia and Junior Mister World in 2018, silver medal at Mr India in 2019, and Best Improvement of the Year and bronze medal at Mister Asia in 2023.After tracing his whereabouts and locating the exact brickfield in Patsoi where Dinesh was currently working, The People's Chronicle caught up with the former champion at the brickfield on Monday evening.

Talking with this daily, Dinesh narrated his struggles and the dire situation his family is presently in. Recounting that he was passionate about sports from a young age, Dinesh (now 33) narrated that he is the second child of three male siblings. His parents, Ingocha and Ibemcha, are illiterate.

Owing to the poor financial condition, the whole family left Thangalawai and moved to Patsoi where they had been working at the brickfield since 2011.His elder brother studied till Class XII and started to work at the brickfield. Dinesh himself studied till Class XII but did not sit for the examination while his younger brother completed graduation and is now tutoring students to share some of the burden of the family.

Confiding that his favourite sports is weightlifting, Dinesh recalled that he began weightlifting at the age of 26 in 2016 when he stayed at the hostel of Sports Authority of India, Utlou. However, he suffered a ligament injury on his wrist and could not focus on the sport.

Despite the injury, he competed for the first time at a national level championship in Guwahati. He failed to win a medal and then had to give up the sport due to the injury. At the time, a teacher, impressed by his (Dinesh) efforts, observed his physique and suggested he take to body building instead.

Dinesh took the advice and joined the School of Body Building (gym) in Kwakeithel under the guidance of instructor Rajiv.

He then went on to compete at various district and state level body building competitions, before flexing muscle at the international level from 2017.He competed at different Asian and World championships held in South Korea, Mongolia, and Maldives and in Pune, Maharashtra, and won gold, silver and bronze medals.

However, none of the medals and titles carried any cash award. Despite this, he was satisfied over his hard work and realised his dreams. However, competing at the international stage was difficult due to fund constraints. The other athletes in the gym organised crowd funding to help support his dream.

As the funds ran short, his family borrowed money from relatives and others. He and his family are still clearing the debts, with most of the daily money earned from working in the brickfield exhausted in paying the interests, consequently putting the family under serious financial stress.

However, Dinesh stated that he has not given up training. He earns around Rs 300 daily in preparing and transporting the bricks. But he does not get to work 30 days of the month. He also recounted missing podium finishes due to lack of focus and practice after toiling in the brickfield, the lack of funds and his family condition.

At present, Dinesh and his family reside in one room quarter at the brickfield. While other athletes have separate room to display his/her trophies and medals in glass cupboards, the trophies and medals won by Dinesh are stacked away in a corner and gathering dust.

According to a policy of the state government, all athletes, who have won medals in the Olympics, Asian and Commonwealth games, have posts reserved for them. Many athletes have availed the opportunity and secured government jobs. Several sportspersons who are winners in non-Olympic disciplines, but have brought recognition to the state, have also been provided with government jobs.

In Dinesh's case, the government has not yet offered any job to him. Dinesh also has not applied for any jobs, understanding that it would be difficult to get one without money. At this juncture, it comes to the point that Dinesh's story is also the harsh reality of many other sportspersons who are struggling to have source of income generation so that they can make both ends meet.

If the government fails to pay special attention to such athletes and take some necessary action, Manipur would not only lose its reputation as a power house of sports but stand to demoralise new generation of potential world beaters.