‘My dreams were once so big’ – As Manipur conflict persists, one community faces sporting exclusion

Competing in his first National Games earlier this week, Letjakai Lenthang didn’t have anything close to the result he would have hoped for. Running in the heats of the 100m at the stadium in Dehradun, the sprinter wearing a blue vest with Mizoram printed on the back ran one of the slowest times in his career – clocking a time of 11.33s – to finish second from last in a race won by eventual gold medallist Animesh Kujur.

“It’s disappointing. My body just felt so tight,” the slightly built 25-year-old admits. He knows he’s run faster – just a couple of months ago, running into a downpour, he broke the Mizoram state record in the 100m with a time of 10.88 at the state championships. It’s not that there aren’t mitigating circumstances. He reached Dehradun just a day before the competition after a day and a half of travelling from Aizawl in the far east of the country. An inexperienced team coach suggested he sit for a Technical officials meeting that drained him further.

In the minutes after his race, Letjakai still tries to stay optimistic. “I know I didn’t run well but in a way I still feel like I’ve achieved something. I shouldn’t even have been here,” he says.

Although Letjakai is wearing a blue vest with the words Mizoram printed on the back, he’s lived there for only about a year and a half. He is a former U-18 and U-20 state champion in Manipur and has competed for that state in the North East Games in 2023 and the All India Universities championships for Imphal University that same year.

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The latter was the last competition Letjakai, who once trained in Imphal’s Khuman Lampak stadium, competed in Manipur. Nearly two years have passed since ethnic conflict broke out in the North Eastern state in May 2023. 

“I was supposed to compete in a state level competition on May 6. I’d gone home to my village in Kangpokpi a few days before that. I was there when the war started. I was training in Imphal before that. I only narrowly escaped that way. I used to stay in Manipur University and I had to leave everything behind. I lost a lot of things,” he says. “After the war, I went to Aizawl. I’m continuing my sports here in Aizawl,” he says.

Despite the conflict, the state has maintained its reputation as one of India’s most prodigious springs of sporting talent. At the close of the National Games, the state has managed to win 52 medals to place in the top 10 of the medal tally.

While the ethnic conflict has affected all sections of the population – one side has faced an outsized impact. Not a single player of Kuki-zo tribe which comprise some 16 per cent of the states population — was part of the 416-member strong Manipur team at the 2025 National Games in Uttarakhand – although other minority groups including Nagas and Manipuri Muslims are. There was no Kuki-zo representation in the Manipur team at the previous edition in Goa either.

This hasn’t always been the case. Players from the Kuki-zo community have represented Manipur at previous editions of the National Games, particularly in football. Five members of the state football team at the 2022 National Games were from the community. After the breakout of violence though, that hasn’t happened.

According to officials from the Manipur Olympic association, the difficulty of organising competitions is largely to blame. “We got confirmation that the National Games are going to be held only a couple of months before the Games opened. With the situation as it is in Manipur, it was a huge task to even organise trials and a team to compete at the Games. We did the best with what was possible,” says Ninthoukonjangbam Ibungochoubi, the joint secretary of the Manipur Olympic Association.

While it is indeed true that the Games were held on short notice, it’s also true that every trial and camp were held in the region of the state capital, Imphal. All state sport federation offices are also in the city. As things stand Imphal remains a a no-go zone for some ethnicities. 

“Unfortunately for us, all the state sports federations, facilities and resources are in Imphal. Our players can’t go there for competition, trials, training or camps. So, of course, they will not be part of any state team. It’s a matter of our life or the sport. Life is more important,” says David Suantak, of football4change club in Saikhul, which reached the semifinals of the Indian U-18 club football championships last year. Although the club is based in Saikhul in Manipur, they compete in the Meghalayan league since it’s impossible for their players to play in Imphal.

In 2023, Sportstar reported how Ngamgouhou Mate, the captain of the Indian U-17 team that had won the South Asian Football championships, and two of his Kuki teammates, Levis Zangminlun and Vumlenlal Hangshing had to embark on a gruelling 15-hour, 438-km journey through Dimapur in Nagaland to reach their families — some in refugee camps — rather than take the shorter route through Imphal.

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‘ I don’t know how long I can do this’

That is a similar journey being made by Joel Haokip, a couple of days ago, as he returned to his family after a stint in professional football. The 22-year-old, played for Dempo Football Club last year, but was part of the Manipur side which competed at the 2022 National Games in Gujarat. Although the team had exited in the group stage after blowing a 2-0 lead against Kerala, Joel, who played as an attacking midfielder, had a good tournament – scoring two goals and making one assist for his team.

That competition was also the last time Joel represented Manipur in.

Joel Haokip trained at the prestigious Classic Football Academy – run by former India international Rennedy Singh.
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Joel was born and raised in Imphal, where he trained at the prestigious Classic Football Academy – run by former India international Rennedy Singh. In being raised in Imphal, where his mother worked as a doctor for the state government, Joel considered himself lucky. “It was a huge advantage to be in Imphal. The clubs and everything are much better in the capital. You can start your career playing in the hills but if you really want to accomplish anything as a footballer you have to come to Imphal,” he says. 

Joel had represented Manipur from the U-14 age group – he was part of the team that won the Khelo India competition. He was also one of Classic Football Academy’s top prospect and on the morning of May 3, 2023 had played a match against NorthEast United’s under 21 side. “Funnily enough that match was actually one of the best games I’ve played. After the match, we started hearing bad news coming out of Churachandpur. We thought it would be nothing and planned to go out to the city but that was when my parents called me back. That whole night was chaos. The rioters were yelling that they would kill us and as men, we had to go out with sticks to try and protect the neighbourhood,” he says. 

It was only with the arrival of the CRPF that Joel’s family was able to make their way to a refugee camp and eventually out of the capital to Kangpokpi. “I just took my boots with me. All my trophies, medals and anything from my life as a footballer in Imphal got left behind,” he says. 

Almost before his family found a place to stay, Joel says he crossed the state border and then made his way to Kolkata. “I love football so much. I was desperate to be able to play again,” he says. 

Although publicly, Classic Football Academy announced that they had ended their partnership with him, Joel says he was supported by Rennedy to find a club and a place to stay in Kolkata. 

The resumption of his career hasn’t been smooth though. “When I was in the Classic Football Academy we had chefs, nutritionists, strength and conditioning experts. I only had to concentrate on my football. The biggest challenge I faced after leaving Manipur has been to take care of myself. I fell sick very often,” he says. 

In his second year of playing football out of his state, Joel, has a lot of resentment. Once considered one of his academy’s top talents, he’s struggling to live up to the potential he once saw in himself. “I think my career would have been very different, if the war had not happened. It hasn’t been anything where it could have been. I was just starting to make a name for myself. I was just about to break out. In Kolkata I started from zero and have to be 3-4 times better to get a chance to play,” he says. 

Joel persists because he loves the sport too much but admits it is becoming difficult. “Many of my (Kuki) teammates have already stopped playing. Some are gone into studies and others have started working. I really thought I was going to play professionally but now I really don’t know how long I’m going to do this. I’m going to keep trying though,” he says. 

‘ My dreams were so big’

While Joel is still pushing to fulfil his sporting ambitions, Tingmilla Doungel has all but come to terms with the end of her’s. 

Doungel, now 23, is currently a student in Chennai, studying for a diploma in physical education. Her horizons were much broader once. 

“When I was boxing, my dream was so big. I wanted to become an Olympic and world champion. That was my dream. But this war is going on, so everything is like…,” she says without completing the sentence. 

While its true that even before the civil conflict that there were relatively fewer high-level non-football sportspersons compared to their more numerous Meitei counterparts (every Kuki-Zo member of the 2022 National Games squad for instance competed in the football competition), Tingmilla was one of the exceptions. 

“When I was boxing, my dream was so big. I wanted to become an Olympic and world champion. That was my dream. But this war is going on, so everything is like…,” says Tingmilla Doungel.
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Hailing from Saikhul Hill town, Tingmilla doesn’t recall any sporting infrastructure in her town. “One day though I saw the Mary Kom movie and I wanted to be just like her. I used to run and train like how she did until one day my grandfather took me for selection trials at the Mary Kom academy,” she says. 

Tingmilla would go on to become one of the star pupils at the academy run by the Olympic bronze medallist in Imphal’s National Games village, winning silver medals at the Khelo India youth games in 2018 and 2019. “I think my happiest moment was when I represented India. I competed and won gold the Silesia Cup in the junior category. That same year Mary Kom also took part in the senior category. That was so special,” she recalls. 

While the COVID pandemic halted her progress, Tingmilla was still the best boxer at the 48kg weight category in Manipur. She represented the state at the 2022 national championships and was also the senior state champion in the same weight class (that incidentally Mary had won five world titles in) in February 2023. 

It was just a small step but Tingmilla had much bigger ambitions. She recalls a poster in the walls of her academy. “They were Mary Kom ma’am’s words. ‘Just because you are a woman, doesn’t mean that there is anything you can’t do’. I really liked that quote by Mary Kom ma’am, I wanted to be just like her,” she says. 

Those hopes ended on May 3 ^rd. As mobs rampaged across Imphal, Tingmilla and a few of her academy teammates from the same community, hid in their academy’s garage. “There were 6-7 of us there. We hid for three days before the Assam Rifles soldiers rescued us and took us away. After I got out of Imphal and got back to my village in Saikhul, I didn’t go anywhere. Sometimes I would help as a volunteer at the town self defence unit. Me and two of my friends, who were also boxers, were serving tea and cleaning the office,” she says. 

Tingmilla says she once thought she would be able to return to boxing soon enough. “Despite all that happened, I didn’t take things seriously. I didn’t think the war would go on for so long. I was thinking I could go back to my academy after a week and train once again. But the things kept getting worse. In 2024, I realised one day suddenly that I will never be able to go back to the academy and I will never be able to see my friends and coaches ever again,” she says. 

Once that happened, Tingmilla says she decided to make plans for the future. She found out about a Tamil Nadu Government program to help sportspersons from the state to come and train in Chennai. But although she joined the YMCA college of physical education, Tingmilla learned fairly quickly that there was no way she was going to be able to box like she had in Imphal. 

“We have a lot of coursework here. After studying the whole day, we get one hour a day in which we can box. I was thinking maybe I could find a club in the city but we aren’t allowed to leave our hostel. When I was at the Mary Kom Academy, I’d train for four or five hours every day,” she says. 

Unlike Joel, who lost most of his memorablia from his time as a football player for Manipur, Tingmilla managed to save her medals and bring them to Chennai with her. Reminiscing isn’t always helpful. “Sometimes I look at them and I remember how I used to play and how much I achieved. And then I feel bad because I know that can’t happen anymore,” she says. 

While Tingmilla misses the chance to fight in the ring, she also — despite the animosities that now exist between communities in Manipur– misses her teammates and her coaches. “I still keep in touch with some of my friends from the academy. Sometimes I keep in touch with my coach Ronald Singh coach. He is still coaching in the academy. He is my favourite coach. He is the one who helped me a lot when I started. Every coach is good and helps but he was particularly my favourite. After I escaped, he used to ask me where I am and what I was doing. He encouraged me to find a way continue boxing and my career,” she says. 

There’s been less communication with others. “Mary Kom ma’am was very nice to us when I was at the academy. I’ve actually stayed at her home in Delhi when I was competing at the Khelo India Games. Her husband Onler  sir has picked me up in his car also. But since the war, I have not spoken to them. I also haven’t heard anything from the state federation,” she says. 

‘ No going back’

While Tingmilla is still connected in some way to sports – even if only through her Physical Education degree – many of the boxers she once knew aren’t. “A lot of girls from my community took up boxing after I did. I know one of them was a state champion and competed for Manipur at the junior nationals also. Then she got married after the war started,” she says. 

At times, she feels envious at her former teammates who got to continue to train in Imphal. “I saw that one of my friends won a bronze at the National championships. I then think maybe I could try to find a way to return to boxing but it’s an easy game. I need full time training. I need a good coach. I need to train really hard. I need so much time to get back. I need to work extra. I need a good coach to get back to my friends’ level. But the best coaches are in Manipur,” she admits. 

Tingmilla won’t return though. “We can’t go back. There is a war between our people,” she says. 

It isn’t an option for Joel or Letjakai either. “It’s strange for me because I grew up in Imphal,” Joel says. “I never thought there was such a problem between all our communities. It’s different for me from that perspective because I had so many Meitei friends. I still keep in touch with some of them but I’ve had to cut off many of the others. Our views are too different,” he says. 

Letjakai is more open to returning. Although he started his journey in athletics as a class 12 student in Pune – he says had never even seen a athletics track in his home town of Saikhul – Letjakai’s formal training began at Imphal’s Khuman Lampak stadium. 

“It’s difficult for a Kuki-zo athlete to do well there. It’s not our area so it’s really hard to get the kind of community support that other athletes got. I’ve even sold ice creams on the road to pay for my training but I was happy I even got that opportunity. My coach Herojit Singh was a very good man. He didn’t really differentiate between people. He treated me like a brother and he supported me a lot,” he says. 

Life’s continued to be a struggle for Letjakai even after he fled Manipur for Aizawl. “I have to consider myself fortunate I have made it there. I remember I only carried 2730 rupees with me, which wasn’t even enough for the fuel cost of the vehicle. There were some kind people who helped me out. I’m still supported by some of my friends who are in different parts of India. I stay in a hostel where they don’t take any charge. I help them in hostel work. It affects my training but at least it lets me do what I love. It lets me run,” he says.

Just passion isn’t enough though. 

“Sports is about knowledge and there isn’t a lot of it in Aizawl. My coach isn’t really a sprint coach. He trained in javelin throw. So when things go badly for me (like at the National Games) I don’t even know what I’m doing wrong. I am nearly 26. That’s getting old for a sprinter. It sounds silly but I have dreams that maybe one day I can run a 10.5 second race. But without good coaching that’s not possible. I know I have to be grateful to God that at least I’m getting to train in Aizawl when so many people can’t do that. But sometimes I wish that this war would be over and I could go back to Imphal and train. Maybe it will be easy in the future. But right now it is not possible,” he says.