It could also be over two months since that evening of May 3 however Chinglensana ‘Sana’ Singh nonetheless remembers the occasions vividly. His Hyderabad FC crew had simply misplaced on penalties within the AFC Cup playoff match towards Mohun Bagan Super Giants in Kozhikode and Sana returned to the dressing room to seek out out his life was turned the other way up.
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“When I switched on my phone after the game, there were a lot of missed calls and messages from home in Churchandpur. The moment I got back to my mom on the phone, she was crying. She said there were attacks on the houses and that their lives were under threat. I was in shock and I didn’t know how to react. It was very scary. I thought I will lose all of them. There were gunshots, attacks, and burning of houses in the neighbourhood closeby, where we reside and the houses were burnt,” remembers Sana.
‘Good Samaritan Provides Shelter’
Violent clashes broke out earlier within the day in Manipur on the again of a High Court order which had requested the state’s authorities to incorporate the Meitei neighborhood within the Scheduled Tribes listing.
Sana stayed up the entire evening, along with his household on the different finish of the road, hoping and praying for his or her security. “I was on the line throughout the night and we all didn’t sleep. The next morning, my mom told me that there was the Army to vacate them from there in trucks. People from 300 houses were taken to relief camps in Moirang and were staying there. I went home after two-three days and was able to be with them,” he says.
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While his household of 12 was in a position to come away unscathed, his household properties – his dad and mom and his sister’s – have been destroyed within the riots. The soccer turf, which Sana had put up for the kids within the space, was additionally in ruins. His displaced household is now staying within the dwelling of fellow footballer Salam Ranjan Singh in Bishnupur district for the final two months.
“We were looking for a place to rent but it’s very difficult to find houses for rent. Luckily my friend [Salam Ranjan] said that he had built a new house and that it is vacant. So our family shifted here. I now have to build a new house somewhere,” he says.
Stimac, AIFF present assist
It’s not simply his household dwelling that he must resurrect. His soccer profession was placed on pause on that evening. Sana, one of many first-choice heart backs within the Indian nationwide crew with 11 caps to his title, needed to pull out of the nationwide camp set for May 15 forward of the Intercontinental Cup and the SAFF Championships. He had paired with Rahul Bheke within the opening match win over Myanmar within the Tri-Nation sequence in March.
“I couldn’t leave my family behind to go to the camp, it would have been very difficult. I had to be here physically and be the strength for them and not by sitting on the phone. And mentally I would have been disturbed as well. If you go to play for the country, you have to be 110%. I had to look after them and be there for them. I spoke to coach Igor Stimac.
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“He understood the situation perfectly and supported me. He told me family was important. And Shaji [Prabhakaran] sir also said the AIFF will support me and said they would do everything possible for me to come out of this stronger. They assured me that I have their support and allowed me to pull out of the camp,” he says.
Sana is ready to listen to from his membership, Hyderabad, to return to pre-season. While there are nonetheless curfews in place within the state, the 26-year-old says he has been in a position to go to the fitness center within the morning and a soccer pitch close by to maintain himself match. “Where I live now, there are curfews, but we can move out with our IDs for the right reasons,” he provides.
Sana hopes he and his household can ‘restart, rebuild and regroup’ and have some semblance of normalcy again of their lives.
“I know what has happened is disheartening and heartbreaking on both sides. I am talking about all communities. I know it’s not easy but if peace is restored and if humanity is back… I don’t know… I hope we can believe that we can go back to Churchandpur and live there and we can co-exist together again peacefully.
“I hope the Government takes steps regarding that for us all to coexist peacefully. That is the best solution because we need them, they need us. Manipur is such that there are a lot of tribes. As a normal human being from the state, my belief is that we can coexist together peacefully and, as usual, we can happily live together. Sooner than later because a lot of people are struggling,” he says.
‘Keeping the dream alive’
Sana, who as soon as had a dream to make it massive from a small district in Churchandpur, stays optimistic about holding that dream alive. He desires to proceed to supply the kids from his neighbourhood a platform to have a life-changing alternative.
“All my assets and investments over there are destroyed. I built a football turf keeping in mind the talent in Churchandpur. I know a lot of them can’t afford a football school. There are a lot of football schools these days where you have to pay to play but I wanted to provide a school where they can come play,” he mentioned.
“All I had to do was hire a coach and that was my idea so they can progress in life. If they become a professional footballer, their life changes, and not just them, the lives of the people around them changes too. That was one way that I thought of giving back to the sport but the war has meant that My vision has taken a step back.
“I will again want to build a turf and want to start again. It is my dream to provide a platform for the youngsters coming up and for the people who can’t afford it. That dream, I will not let go,” Sana says with some hope.
But to grasp these ambitions, Sana must discover a method again onto the sphere. He guarantees that he “will keep working hard and play at the top level. Even for the national team, I will keep fighting for my place and keep playing at the highest level as I can and fulfill all these dreams.”
