Our stars from Northeast

Saikhom Mirabai Chanu

Starting off, I have a confession to make: I never wanted to be a weightlifter. In fact, I had no interest in taking up the sport as I always wanted to become an archer. I became interested in weightlifting only after I read about Kunjarani Devi, a legend from my home state Manipur, and one of India’s greatest weightlifters. I came to know about her when I was in the eighth standard. What an inspiring story! I was surprised to know she had to sometimes walk many kilometres and at times she cycled — and if I am right, she also stood during bus rides — to reach her training centre.

Just like me, she came from a humble family. Despite all odds, she won countless medals for the country. She became my inspiration and it is because of her that my interest grew in the sport of weightlifting. I wanted to do something similar to achieve success!

The state weightlifting centre was over 24 km away from my house. It was a daily grind, but one that had to be done. The centre had four platforms for hundreds of trainees; it lagged behind in facilities. We had to compete against each other and wait for our turns. But it was the only way forward. Our state, like the other Northeastern states, has a history of producing sporting talents. It is not due to great infrastructure, but good coaches. Above all, our families encourage us to pursue our interests.

The culture in the Northeast is different, too. Women are independent and empowered. Growing up, I was never told to stay indoors or to concentrate on household stuff because of my gender. While my initial coaches, including Anita Chanu, played an important role in my development early on, it was the support of my family and my mother that helped me realise my potential. I cannot explain how much they had to sacrifice so that I could get all the essentials to survive in my initial years.

Athletes from the Northeast have been doing very well for a long time. At the 1948 London Olympics, the flagbearer for the Indian contingent was the legendary Dr Talimeren Ao, the captain of the football team, who was born in present-day Nagaland. We’ve had top-class sportspersons from the Northeast who have done very well for the country — from older times, you would remember names such as Thoiba Singh, Dingko Singh, Dipankar Bhattacharjee, Monalisa Barua and, of course, Kunjarani Devi.

In the last 20-odd years, Northeastern sportspersons have gained greater prominence. One reason is that boxing and weightlifting started having World Championships for women, and we had great role models like Kunjarani Devi, Mary Kom and Sarita Devi. Women have competed in the Olympics in weightlifting since 2000 and in boxing since 2012, and we have done well there. New coaching centres have come up and the infrastructure is improving.

The India question

I never felt like an outsider in any part of India. I had heard how people from Northeast states had to face ridicule. ‘Chinese’ or ‘Chinky’ were some of the words that were used to discriminate against them, but I have never faced any such discrimination. The only thing people asked me was: ‘Kahan se ho?’ The only problem I faced early on was that I struggled to understand Hindi.

My first national camp call-up came in 2010-11 and it was held in Bengaluru. Forget Hindi, I would struggle to understand the locals there. Thankfully, I was lucky as most of the senior weightlifters in that camp were from Manipur and acted as my interpreters initially.

I am comfortable in Hindi now. Coaches only converse in Hindi and it helps to know the language. I can understand some Punjabi as well. After all, I have stayed in Patiala for a number of years. I still can’t speak it, but can understand some of it.

I have always felt ‘Indian’. I have been given a lot of love from everyone. Yes, the people from my state adore me, but I can confidently say that I have been loved by all people across India. One of the reasons, I feel, is that unlike 10 years back, our results are now splashed all over social media. Be it any national or international meet, the public now knows about our achievements, good or bad.

They read about us more, they get to know our backgrounds and I think they relate to us athletes. People are accepting us as Indians more and more as they genuinely feel that we are winning medals representing our country, not just the Northeast.

Like all good things, there is a dark aspect when it comes to social media. ‘Who is Sushila Devi?’ was trending on social media on the day she won a silver medal in judo at the Commonwealth Games earlier this week. It is not as if she was making her debut this time or that she is an unknown athlete — she had represented India at the previous Commonwealth Games and was part of India’s Olympics contingent in Tokyo last year.

Representing our country at the Olympics is a great honour and people should respect that. Though I have no problem with social media, I keep away as I am mostly concentrating on my training. But I do post things on social media from time to time. It is good to interact with fans.

— The writer, a weightlifter, won a gold at the ongoing Commonwealth Games

(As told to Vinayak Padmadeo)