IMPHAL: In a state that has witnessed deep ethnic tensions and prolonged violence, a quiet but powerful movement is unfolding, not in political corridors, but in playgrounds, stadiums and training halls. Across Manipur, young athletes from different communities are choosing gloves, boots and jerseys over hatred and division.
While communities may remain fractured off the field, on the field, there are no lines of separation. On football grounds, boxing rings, and athletics tracks, Meetei, Kuki, Naga, Meitei Pangal (Muslim), Tangkhul, Rongmei, and others train shoulder to shoulder, united by a shared ambition to represent Manipur and India.
Coaches and sportspersons believe that sports hold a rare power in times of conflict, the power to rebuild trust.
Even during the most tense periods of unrest, local tournaments in parts of the state continued quietly. Young players who might otherwise have been consumed by fear or frustration found purpose in preparation and discipline.
For many of them, sport became therapy, a way to channel anger into endurance, anxiety into focus.
As the situation gradually stabilizes and tensions reduce, there has been a noticeable rise in youth participation in sports. Grounds that once stood silent are seeing renewed energy. Coaches say the momentum is high, and young people are increasingly viewing sports not just as recreation but as a career and a path toward a disciplined life.
One powerful example of this larger spirit of unity can be seen at the Sarita Boxing Academy in Mayang Imphal, founded by Olympian and Arjuna Awardee Laishram Sarita Devi.
The academy currently houses around 103 students from various communities across the hills and valleys. They live and train together, sharing dormitories, meals and dreams.
"In sports, there is no difference of caste, religion, community or colour," Sarita says. "I train all my students equally. We don't need to see such things in sports. We are working hard to make our country proud."
Significantly, Sarita recalled that before the outbreak of violence in Manipur, Kuki students were also part of the academy, training alongside others without any distinction. (ANI)
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