Two Manipuri personalities– former Union minister Thounaojam Chaoba and Thang-Ta coach Kakchingtabam Shanathoiba Sharma–were awarded Padma Shri among the total 12 who received the coveted prize from the northeastern states this year.
Chaoba Singh, also a former Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) state unit president, has been awarded Padma Shri for his contribution in public affairs in the last four decades after he was elected as an MLA from Nambol assembly constituency in 1972.
This 86-year-old veteran politician began his career with the Congress and represented Nambol assembly constituency in Bishnupur district five times (1972-1995).
He has served as the deputy speaker of the Manipur Legislative Assembly(1974 to 1975), a Cabinet minister(1980-1990) and the deputy chief minister (1994 to 1995). Later, he was elected to the 11th Lok Sabha in 1996 from Inner Manipur Parliamentary constituency from Congress.
He was re-elected from the same seat to the 12th Lok Sabha in 1998 and 13th Lok Sabha in 1999 from the Manipur State Congress Party,a regional political party formed in Manipur under his leadership.
Chaoba became the Union minister of state, culture, youth Affairs and sports in the government of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vaypayee in 1999.
Later, he joined the BJP prior to the 2004 Elections and he was named the Manipur BJP president and kept that role until 2006. He lost in the 2017 assembly elections.
Presently, he is serving as the chairman of the Krishi Vigyan Kendra Bishnupur and managing chairman of the Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Institute of Agricultural Sciences Manipur after retiring from electoral politics.
On the other hand, Guru Kakchingtabam Shanathoiba Sharma was awarded Padma Shri for his three-decade-long distinguished contribution and other promotional activities in the field of sports and Thang Ta, a Manipuri martial art form in particular in the northeastern state.
Born in a family practising Mukna Kangjei, a Manipuri traditional game of Wrestling-cum-Hockey and Thang-Ta,Guru Shanathoiba Sharma has been awarded Padma Shri for imparting training to many Thang-ta enthusiasts across the region and taking a key role in establishing various cultural bodies.
In fact, this 68-year-old Science graduate (Royal Science) from Guwahati University (1974)started practising Thang-Ta from the age of 7 years. He actively continued practising the art by observing all the traditional and ritual formalities from his maternal uncles Guru G Gourakishor Sharma and G Sana Sharma when he was 14.
Subsequently, he also learnt different principles and techniques of Thang-Ta from various eminent Gurus of Manipuri martial arts including Haobam Ibotombi Singh, Bor-Mantri, Konjengbam Biren Singh, Potsangbam Manichand Singh, M Ibetombi Singh and S Devabrata Singh.
Being a research Guru of Thang-Ta for the artistes receiving Fellowships of the Ministry of Culture, Shanathoiba has been the Thang Ta Guru and Tuli Ahal Major of Shri Shri Govindajee Temple Board, Palace Compound, Imphal since 2008.
On naming him as a Padma Shri awardee, Guru Shanathoiba, who is also the working President of the Sanskar Bharti, Manipur Prant, a national organisation for the promotion in the field of Art and Culture of the country, said, “I feel so happy on hearing the news.After all, what I am today is because of the guidance and support of my Gurus.”
Guru Shanathoiba lives with his family at Wangkhem in Manipur’s Thoubal District.
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