In Remembrance : Elangbam Binoykumar Singh

Dr . R.K.Nimai Singh *

Late Shri Elangbam Binoykumar Singh who was a relative of mine and who I lovingly call 'Tamo Binoy" was known to me for decades. He was quite close to my late uncle M.K. P .B. Singh and used to come to our house frequently . Till I joined service, our relations can best be described as distant. After I joined service, he assisted us in building our residential house by providing expert advice.

And we became quite close when he was in charge of the construction of the infrastructures for the 5 th National Games as I was then working as Director of Youth Af fairs & Sports. Since most of the types of constructions were new in Manipur , it was his idea to send our engineers to Bangkok where similar infrastructures were being developed for the Asian Games. At that time we were very concerned about three items namely the indoor Hall, swimming pool and cycle velodrome, the concept and design of which are totally new in Manipur .

It was at his initiative and with his core team that these infrastructures could come up to the satisfaction of all concerned and the 5 th National Games could be held successfully . Social service is in his heart and besides various activities towards this end his love for sports made him known to the people of Manipur . When I joined as Director of YAS in 1995, ef forts had already been made to develop a common 'kanglon' with seminars and workshops being held.

I also felt that for this game to develop further we have to have a common rules and through the result of the workshops and seminars, the Department of YAS published a common kanglon. He as President of the All Manipur Kang Association was instrumental in universalising this common kanglon. I am glad to say that this kanglon is now the sole rules governing this game. Earlier there were a number of rules varying in critical aspect of the game thus making the players to adapt in different tournament, which stunted the growth of the game. And towards unifying the game, he will be remembered by all those who love kang.

When my late uncle wanted to erect a memorial stone at Tenggon Lampak, where the battle of Khongjom (battle of Sapam to the British) was fought in 1891, he offered his assistance in bringing the rough stone from Sanahal Lokchou to our residence and after carving the memorial stone then to the site. It would however deserve a mention of the physical work put by Col. K.I. Singh and his ex- servicemen team to load the memorial stone at our residence and unload it at Tenggon Lampak.

This memorial still bears mute testimony to the brave-hearts who died at this site fighting for their mother country . His interest was not only in indigenous games but also in modern games like basketball for which he was the President of the State Association. His final achievement in the field of sports was when he was elected as the President of Manipur Olympic Association. His fairness, sincerity and dedication towards sports are still being remembered. Manipur was very successful during his tenure in the Andhra Pradesh and Assam National Games.

He was also associated with various organisations like Rotary Club, ISKCON, his local club NACO, etc. His association with Manipur Adventure & Allied Sports Institute will be remembered by all those associated with adventure sports in Manipur . His humility and commitment can be gauged by the fact that when he was appointed Member of the Manipur Public Service Commission, he dropped by to learn the intricacies of the functioning of the MPSC as I was earlier working as its Secretary .

My last association with him was at the Govindajee Temple Board where we became members of the advisory body for the construction works being taken up. His knowledge and dedication despite his ill health encouraged all of us to work harder . When we started the magazine neScholar at the time of my retirement from service in 2014; we solicited his service as a senior advisor and he so willingly agreed and gave us a series of advices to improve the quality of the magazine for which we are extremely grateful and we in the magazine will remain indebted to him. Tamo Binoy is no more with us and the void will be difficult to fill.

His family would feel thousand times more the loss than those of us who were briefly associated with him. May God give the bereaved family the courage to face life without him. A Brief Sketch of the Life of (late) Elangbam Binoykumar Singh. (Late) Shri Elangbam Binoykumar Singh was born at Keisamthong Elangbam Leikai to Elangbam Debendra Singh and Elangbam ongbi Thounaojam Ningol Ibechoubi Devi on 6 th October , 1939. He did his Matriculation from Ram Lal Paul High School in 1957 and did his I. Sc. from Dhanamanjuri College in 1959.

Thereafter , he did his B.E. (Civil) from Victoria Jubilee Technical Institute, Matunga, Bombay . He joined Manipur Government as Assistant Engineer in the Public Works Department in 1968 and continued to work in this department till his retirement. During his long service, he was promoted as Executive Engineer , Superintending Engineer , Additional Chief Engineer and finally Chief Engineer.

It was under his direct supervision that the infrastructures for the 5th National Games were completed at Khuman Lampak Sports Complex and other venues like Takmu, etc. It was through his endeavour that quality infrastructures could be created in time for the National Games to be held. He sent out his officers to other venues where similar work was taken up like Bangkok which was the venue for the ASIAD, etc to ensure that the design and quality are of top class. After his retirement, taking into consideration his integrity and sincerity , he was appointed as Member of the Manipur Public Service Commission which he served with distinction.

After his retirement from the MPSC, he was associated with various Central and State Government agencies like the Manipur University , Institute of Bio- resources & Sustainable Development and different state government departments in engineering and project related matters. He was inducted by the Govindajee Temple Board as a member of the Construction Committee which oversaw the various development works including major renovation of the temple including gold doming, renovation of pond, reconstruction of the mandap, construction of gate, multi-loisang, etc.

His contribution there will be remembered by not only the present generation but by future generations also. He took keen interest in various sports and social activities. He was the President of his local club more popularly known as NACO (Nambul Mapal Athletic & Cultural Organisation). He was President of the All Manipur Kang Association of which he later became the Chief Patron, and President, Manipur Basketball Association.

He was also President of the Manipur Adventure & Allied Sports Institute. He was also the Chief Patron of the Manipur Weightlifting Association. He also served as the Vice-President of the Kang Federation of India. He became the President of the Manipur Olympic Association in view of his contribution to the development of sports in Manipur . During his tenure as President of MOA, the State participated in two National Games namely , the 32nd National Games at Andhra Pradesh in 2002 and 33 rd National Games at Assam in 2008 where Manipur secured the second highest gold medals after Services.

In fact, Manipur though small was the best team among all the state teams. He also served as President of the Rotary Club, Imphal and was a life member of ISKCON. He was the Founder President of Kriya Bharati, Manipur Pranth and Secretary of th e Governing Body of the T.S. Paul Women' s College, Mongsanggei. As President of the All Manipur Kang Association he took keen interest and also worked hard and tirelessly for unifying all the kanglons in vogue then by developing a common kanglon which is now the sole rules regulating this indigenous game.

It may not be out of place to mention that after the adoption of the common kanglon, the popularity of the game had increased with a number of tournaments held almost throughout the year. After living a full life under his motto "I will live till I die" and after an illness he expired on 4 th August, 2017. He is survived by his wife, two sons and two daughters.