Aleng Shimray : "Football is my life"

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Aleng Shimray :: Pix - Hueiyen Lanpao

Football has been one of the most popular games among the Tangkhuls. Since the beginning of 1940s, a number of Tangkhul footballers have brought fame for Manipur. Aleng Shimray is one of the active football players of the 1960s. 'ON THE GOLDEN FOOTPRINTS' reproduces here the profile of former Joint Director of Sports Aleng Shimray from Ratneshwori Goswami's Akao Parei Chankhrabasing published in the Huieyen Lanpao (Manipuri).

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 Saiza, 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. In the CC Meet of 1953, Tangkhul Sporting Club turned winner while DSA Dibugarh was the runner.

Aleng Shimray, the one time football player of Manipur was an inhabitant of Tangre, Church Road Ukhrul. His father Ng. Shimray and mother P. Shimray were farmers. During childhood, he witnessed the football games played by former Chief Minister Yangmaso Saiza, Lungshim Saiza and others in his locality. According to Shimray, the Saiza family was well-to-do and educated by those times. Aleng was, in fact, fascinated by their football performances.

In the All India National School Games, 1960, Shimray was the Captain of Manipur team which became victorious. Again in 1961, Manipur football team won champion in Bombay School Meet. Manipur Chief Commissioner GM Raina presented the players with medals made of real gold on which his wife's name was inscribed. The medal is still being carefully preserved by him. As player of India School Team, he also participated in the Asian School Football Championship in Jakarta (Indonesia).

As left half player, Aleng Shimray was part of the Ukhrul football team which defeated Churachand School in the School Meet during his schooldays. Having completed class-X at the Ukhrul Government High School, Aleng Shimray studied at D.M College where he had a record success in High Jump, Horse Step Jump and Discus Throw. In 1962, Shimray was adjudged the Best Sportsman of DM College. From 1963 to 1965, he earned the Best Sportsperson Award in Cotton College, Guwahati. During 1965-1966, Shimray became the Sports Secretary of Cotton College.

He participated in the All India Inter University Championships in Benaras in 1962-63, in Guwahati in 1963-64 and in Patna in 1967-68. He was the captain of Guwahati University team in Patna championship. Again in 1967-68, he captained the Indian University team in the World Students Sports Meet in Mexico.

In 1965, he took part in a friendly match between Assam Football Team and a Russian Olympic Team as part of Indo-Soviet Cultural Exchange programme. By 1968, Shimray became a player of Indian Football Team which got a chance to play with Minsak Dynamo, Moscow. To Aleng Shimray, playing with foreign players was an exiting moment.

As a football player, he also played in various clubs of Imphal, namely the Prakati Sankha, Imphal Sporting Club, USA, NISA etc. He also played under the Guwahati Town Club. By 1964 when he was in Guwahati Cotton College, Shimray became an Under-19 Junior player. As a player of Assam Team, he participated in the Santosh Trophy held in Kerala in 1965.

On various occasions, Aleng was desperate during selections for important tournaments. He blamed his luck for excluding him in the selection lists for participation in the Asian Youth Soccer Cup in Saigon in 1964, and again in Tokyo in 1965. His name was dropped from the list of participants for Pre-Olympic camp in Rangoon in 1968. In spite of hurdles, Shimray went ahead in his sports career.

During 1970 when he was studying in Cotton College, he took part in the Assam Inter District Tournament as a player of Guwahati Town Club. His team defeated the Nagaland Police Team which was very popular and well-played by that time. Manipuri players such as Basanta Kabui, LuiNgai Ni, Gopeshore, Indra etc. were in the Nagaland Police Team led by DGP Syamkishore. Shimray scored two goals on behalf of Assam in the keenly contested match. On seeing his outstanding performance, Major Khatting who accompanied the Nagaland team invited Shimray to play under Nagaland Team. Later on, he worked in the Nagaland Public Works Department and played for the state for some time, before he joined Manipur Sports Department as a Coach in 1976. Thangjam Modhu appointed him as a Coach, after he had fielded in the international matches. Therein, he joined the NIS course in Patiala on deputation.

Having passed the NIS course, Shimray became a successful football coach. Although Manipur had never won the Subroto Cup since its inception in 1960, it could garner the champion when Aleng Shimray acted as a coach. His team under the ageis of Ibemcha High School won the Subarto Cup in 1979. Again in 1981, his team earned joint winner with Nagaland. By that time, Shimray became Deputy Director of Sports in Manipur Government.

An announcer (in Tangkhul dialect) in All India Radio Guwahati, Aleng Shimray actively played Football from 1962 to 1973. From 1976 to 1987, he as a coach had the opportunity to train footballers of the state. As Deputy Director (Sports), he led Manipur state sports teams to a number of tournaments and championships. He had been to Bangkok, Melbourne, Jordan, London, etc. He had also taken part in various important workshops and seminars related to sports. Retired as Joint Director (Sports) in 2005, the septuagenarian Shimray is still associated with sports activities. He is the Chairman of Selection Committee in National Sports Academy, Khuman Lampak. Aleng Shimray proudly claims that his healthy body even after 70 years of age has been due to sports. He always says “Football is my life”.