History Repeated at the same time, justice should be done
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: September 27, 2010 -

No doubt MC Mary Kom is always a good news to the people of Manipur. When the people of the state are bogged down with some or other kind of upheavals or unrest for a long period, or crestfallen because of communal tensions, or on the brink of starvation due to acute scarcity of foodgrains and other essential commodities as a result of protracted highway blockade imposed by some 'community-based patriots,' and just when people are on the verge of throwing up hands in the air with no hopes, our diminutive but a giant fighter, Mary Kom appears as the miraculous silver lining from behind the dark clouds bringing great news that gives the entire people of Manipur a divine bliss.

This has happened not only once or twice, but five times consecutively every year for the past half decade. Every year there's always turmoil in Manipur, and Mary Kom also wins the World Women Boxing Championship title every year.

If it is not a miracle or a phenomenon or an extraordinary feat or whatever one may call it, what else would it be? Therefore, Mary Kom is indeed a magnificent boxer, a little giant fighter and a wonder. She has brought the greatest laurels to Manipur and India like no other sportsperson has done till date.

Mary Kom is one of the few rare sportspersons Manipur has produced so far. Therefore, it was a befitting honour and a historic welcome that people of various communities accorded her on September 25 when she returned home from Bridgetown, Barbados and New Delhi.

The way thousands and thousands of people– men, women, children– young and old alike, stood and waited for her in the hot sun by the side of the roads and garlanded her and showered flower petals on her as she passed by in an open jeep on the way to the Indoor Stadium, Khuman Lampak, was indeed a historic sight that occurs rarely.

In fact, it was the second time in the history of Manipur. The first was the hero's welcome people of the state accorded Dingko when he returned home as the Asian Boxing Champion from Bangkok Asian Games in 1999.

Apart from the rousing welcome, the state government promoted Mary Kom from Dy Superintendent of police to Additional Superintendent of Police, which was announced by the state Chief Minister, O Ibobi, and also presented her a ` 10,00,000 incentive award during a mammoth reception held at the Indoor Stadium, Khuman Lampak Sports Complex in Imphal.

Another honour accorded to Mary Kom for her landmark achievement was the half holiday declared in the state on September 25 by the government. With all these gestures of the government, there will be little ground for anyone to complain that not much was done to honour Mary Kom.

Another noteworthy gesture of the government was the announcement made by Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports and Irrigation and Flood Control Department, N Biren that any sportsperson of Manipur who wins a gold medal in any discipline in the Olympic Games would be given an incentive prize of rupees one crore. This will certainly boost up the morale of our young sportspersons to work harder to achieve gold medals in the world's biggest sports extravaganza in London in 2012.

Meanwhile, amidst all these cheering happenings comes a rather sad news that Laishram Sarita, another ace woman boxer of Manipur, who had won World Championship once, the current Asian Champion and Arjuna Awardee, has complained to the Union Sports Minister, MS Gill that some corrupt officials of the Indian Boxing Federation had played favouritism in the selection trial of Indian women boxing team for the Beijing Asian Games to be held this year.

It is obvious that Sarita's heart has been broken by the way she has been left out of the Indian team by the IFB officials even though her performance in the selection trial and all along had been really good. She strongly feels that the trial for selection was done with bias and favouritism.

She has informed the Union Minister for YAS & Sports, MS Gill that unless a free and fair trial was conducted again within one week in front of media and audience, she will never play for India in future and also will return the Arjuna Award. It is apparent that she has some genuine grievances which must be addressed and justice must be done.

What's more saddening is that Sarita's contender is none other than MC Mary Kom. Both are friends and Manipuris. This situation is obviously the creation of IBF. An unbiased, neutral and qualified authority must look into the matter immediately.