Distortion of facts in the sports movement of Manipur

Soram Lokeshwar Singh *

An article hastily written to meet a tight deadline-without proper verification and authenticity of sources-can lead to serious consequences not only for the content itself but also for the reputations involved. A timely correction is often the only remedy to avoid future controversies.

Public statement made by individuals lacking thorough knowledge of a subject, especially when disseminated through media, can also trigger significant social unrest. Without harbouring malice toward anyone, I feel compelled to correct several factual inaccuracies recently propagated by individuals-some of whom are considered renowned-through both print and electronic media.

To clarify matters, I present a few examples in the interest of the readers:

Misattribution of Founding of Manipur Town Club

Recently, it was falsely claimed that Jananeta Hijam Irabot was the founder of the Manipur Town Club, which played a pioneering role in organizing football and hockey tournaments from 1920 for over two decades. In reality, Irabot was one of the founding members, alongside personalities like Chongtham Benudhar, and Ravi Purkayasta.

The actual founder was Phoni Mukherjee, grandson of Bama Charan Mukherjee. The Mukherjee family had settled in Babupara (formerly Haobam Leikai) in 1892. In another instance, a gentleman incorrectly referred to Imphal Town Club, to mean Manipur Town Club, perhaps confusing it with Imphal Sporting Club, a notable local club from a more recent period.

Clarifying Historical Excerpts

The following excerpt is from a piece titled "Football is My Life", an English profile on Aleng Shimray, former Joint Director, Youth Affairs and Sports, Manipur. The article was translated from Manipuri "Akao Parei Chankhrabasing" published in a local newspaper on 7th December, 2013 and it was posted on e-pao sports page.

The link is hereunder "Tangkhuls loved football from the very beginning. Ukhrul, which did not have any proper football ground, was the powerhouse of Football in Manipur. When Manipur team under the captainship of Major Dayamoi became victorious in the Assam Inter District tournament held in Shillong in 1947, a number of Tangkhul players namely Yangmaso Shaiza, Sangam, Baorei, Songjilin, Phareng, Yengkhahao, etc. were in the team. The Manipur football team which won the Nagaon Independence Cup in 1952 comprised eight Tangkhuls and only two Meiteis. Tangkhul players namely Yangkhahao, Phareng, Aboi, Rameo, Baorei, Sangam, Sengkhao, Lungshim Saiza and Mangjakai were very active footballers of the time... ..... "

Several factual inaccuracies appear in the above articles need correction:

1. Major Dayamoi was not the captain of the Manipur team that won the First All Assam Inter-District Football Tournament in Shillong, 1947. That role was held by Akoijam Manihar Singh throughout the tournament. Major Thokchom Dayamoi, whose army unit was posted in Shillong at the time, was an excellent footballer and coach.

When several key Manipur players were injured, team managers Nongmaithem Rebati Singh and Ayekpam Biramangal Singh invited Dayamoi to join the team, which he accepted

2. The player named 'Songjillin' in the excerpt is a Kuki, not a Tangkhul.

3. A group photograph of the winning team at the Nagaon Independence Cup 1952 (refer to Annals of AMSA, page 13) confirms that there were only six Tangkhul players, not eight Mangjakai and Shengkhao are Kukis, and Aboi was a Kabui from Kakhulong, Paona Bazar. Aboi later became a doctor and settled in Delhi.

4. Aleng Shimray's claim of winning the School Games Football Championship in 1960 and 1961 is incorrect. Manipur won in 1959 by defeating Andhra Pradesh in the final held in Bombay (now Mumbai) on 31st December 1959, during the V National School Games. In 1961, the championship held in Calcutta (now Kolkata) was won by Kerala, not Manipur.

Furthermore, the club Aleng played for in Imphal was Pragati Sangha, not `Prakati Sankha'. This club was founded in 1960s by Jagadish Bhattacharjee a Bengali businessman who had settled in Imphal during the Partition era.

A Personal Reflection on Accuracy

I must admit that I, too, once published an article in a similar manner, relying on the recollections of an elderly friend-then in his late eighties-about Manipur's first participation in the IV National School Games held in 1958 at the National Stadium, Delhi. Unfortunately some details were inaccurate.

My friend, despite his best efforts to recall events from 60 years ago, made a few mistakes, which I have since corrected in a recent article published on 6th March, 2025, in the Sangai Express (English Edition). The corrected details are: Elbe year was 1958, not 1959.

* Jawaharlal Nehru was the President, not the Chief Guest of the inauguration ceremony. Though the correction came late, it has provided relief from the potential criticism of future scholars for misrepresenting historical facts.

A Word of Caution to Future Researchers

It is worth noting that Sandeep Menon, a young research scholar from Calicut, Kerala, visited Manipur in March 2025 to gather materials on the development of football in the state. After meeting few resource persons in Imphal, he visited Ukhrul-possibly influenced by Aleng Shimray's assertion that "Ukhrul is the powerhouse of football in Manipur."

Following his visit, he abruptly left Imphal. I did not have a chance to meet him. I sincerely hope that his thesis will not incorporate the distorted facts highlighted above. It is crucial that the history of sports development in Manipur be recorded accurately, so that future generations can rely on it with confidence and pride.


CORRECTION
Please refer to the fourth pars of the article 'Distortion of facts in the sports movement of Manipur' written by Soram Lokeshwar Singh and the name MK Lokendra was inadvertently added as one of the founding members of football and hockey tournaments in Manipur