Big Congratulations to Inpui Woman: Way to Go

Miss Kh. Bajaangsalu Inpui flanked by BT.Kashahung, President Inpui Naga Union on the left and Kh. Shalwan Inpui, President, All Inpui Students’ Union on the right.

Image credit: George Bariampaan

Games and sports is one sector in the country which got very minuscule attention from the government. In a cricket crazy nation, others sports are often sidelined. But the entry of private players in recent years is changing the whole scenario. For instances, football, boxing, badminton, kabadi etc, are making a grand entry with the support and sponsorship of big corporates. This is indeed a ray of hope for sports starve country like India. And it is equally true that the sporting nations are the ones that rule the world (USA & China). In Indian context, the country is plague with various issues and barriers which hinder growth both at the grassroots, national and international levels. The state failure to deliver basic social services, forget about investing in sports or other sectors has made this once glorious country meme of its own. But in contradiction to this assumption; Manipur, one of the smallest state located in North East India is India’s sport powerhouse. But if we look deeper, it is mainly the majority Meiteis (Manipuri) who are into sports and not necessarily the tribal’s who occupy the hills surrounding the Imphal valley. It is rare to find a tribal who have sketched a name for themselves and make a living through sports. And it is rarer for a minor tribe like Inpui, who lived in the most underdeveloped districts to come out and excel in sports, given the social restriction and very poor sports infrastructure (equivalent to nil). There is basically no sports complex or stadium that can groom youths, except for village playground maintained by youth clubs, which by the way are run by ill-equipped and mostly illiterate person with a nearly defunct offices. Though, there are some sports enthusiasts, none has so far written a record in the field of sports. Only few have represented district and state in football, taekwondo, rock climbing etc. But the emergence of women players like Shanti Inka (rock climbing- currently employed with Manipur police), Mercy Bariam (bench pressing) and now Bajaangsalu Khumba is exceptional and noteworthy. These young sportswomen are setting benchmark for themselves and the society at large.

Inpui  Naga Union & All Inpui Students Union  Felicitate Miss Kh.Bajaangsalu Inpui for Winning Two Silver Medal in Chuncheon & Jeonju Korea International Taekwondo Championships 2017 at South Korea

            State players welcome by different organizations at Tulihal Airport, Imphal

             Image credit: George Bariampaan

Fourteen years old state taekwondo fighter Miss Kh. Bajaangsalu Inpui d/o, of Basan Khumba & Kaguithuanlu Khumba of Kadingmuan (Yurembam), Imphal has become the heartthrob of the Inpui youths by bringing laurel to the country and Inpui Naga community through sports. She started her journey at a tender age of 11 by competing in school and state tournaments. She has represented the state in various national events in the past three years. Her first major breakthrough came in 2014 when she bagged a gold medal in the 45^th Regional Sports Meet 2014 (under 17 category) at Silchar, Assam in 2014. And ever since her maiden medal, she have been moving forward with sheer grit and determination.

                              Memento of recognition given by All Inpui Students' Union. Image credit:Shalwan Khumba

At the national level, she won gold in 47^th KVS National Sports Meet held at Picket, Secunderabad held in 20^th September 2016. And at the first international venture, she won a silver medal at the Open International Taekwondo Championship held on 17-19^th November 2016 at Nepal. Further in the state level championship, Kh. Bajaangshalu Inpui bagged bronze medal in Manipur State Taekwondo Championship in 2016. And a silver medal at the 12^th Governor Taekwondo Cup, Manipur conducted in 4^th-7^th May 2017. This time she bagged two silver medals in Chuncheon & Jeonju Korea International Taekwondo Championships which was held on 2-7 and 8-11 July at South Korea. She was the lone female fighter from Manipur (India). Currently, she is studying at Kendriya Vidyalaya, Langjing Imphal in standard IX. Commemorating her success, the INU & AISU hosted felicitation program for Bajangshalu Inpui on July 12, 2017 at Kadingmwan (Yurembam), Imphal.

The blogging team @antrimwanbutkhwan congratulates Kh. Bajaangsalu Inpui for her outstanding achievements. We wish her more success in the days to come.

NB: With inputs from All Inpui Students’ Union.