Lansana Chanu Thokchom – a victim trapped in the game of talents

Birkarnelzelzit Thiyam *

Why art and culture is pushed to secondary when it always comes first in our definition?

Having born and rose in the land of traditions, following the front, whether it’s of falling in the pit was a question of living with the pride. Somewhere back in time, somebody must have said that sports is the one untying the freeness of flag’s freedom, and then all started looking up to sports. The overwhelming athletic feelings have been ignited by all sectors.

Making the commonest informative latest lines, look at the support by the Manipur government to all in the field of games. It’s not the question of take it down, but a yell for ‘please turn your head this side once in a while too.’ To say that a sport is the only one rolling up the flag high will be the shakiest statement.

Every morning when you unfold any pages of morning’s paper, there will be this lucky man getting national awards in any field. Throwing this question; does this government or any authorities concerned have the sense of waiting with a garland? No way, because they think diamonds are cheaper than gold.

To take an appealing quote in Manipuri, “National Awardee Do Asaida Cheng Wan Laga Leihouwey,” why so much partiality in talents? With so much of discriminations in this society, I take the honor to add another one today, i.e. the TALENT DISCRIMINATION. When you can honor someone with lakhs and lakhs just for participating, why not for those who solely represented our culture in the other world? Among hundreds of national awardees, to my knowledge, just four of them got fulcrum support from the government. Naming them; L.Tonthoi, Leikhendra, Irom Maipak and Kiran Mala.

From the sky full of stars, picking a star; Lansana Chanu Thokchom. The first daughter of Thokchom Thouyanba Meitei(Film maker, state and national awardee, Bal Sahitya Puraskar 2015) and Thokchom (O) Manileima from Kongba laishram Leikai. She joined the atmosphere on 7/03/1999. Having born in the family of arts, attached birth culture has been her mastering focus.

Ever since the creation calls for every next, she stood firm for any of everything to defend her passion for singing and dancing attached with our tradition. When she crawled to five, she was put to the reality, she was let to take risk beyond the orbit letting herself search next after next. From five onwards, she was unchained to the children program of all India Radio. And waited till tenth to set her foot off for more crowds and exposures. She even got the CCRT, New Delhi Scholarship.

To come to the point on why she is taken to this issue, her experience on the latest will be taken now. She was selected for representing India in ABU Radio Song Festival in China. On April 26, 2016 she performed there. Prasar Bharati, New Delhi AIR provided flight fare, hotel fee and for food. With such a talent representing India, when she came back to Manipur, just her parents waited for her.

Where is the support for our culture? Where are the officials of our culture? Where are their supports when it’s really needed? The government kept quiet, not only to her but to everyone like her and predominantly from this region. Her father borrowed money to run for her passports, visa, dress and huge more. Borrowing money and going for representing is such a shame for BHARAT and a huge salute for her father? It’s really needed to have a liberal look on some of every.

Manipuri feature films and documentaries also create a wide arena in the rolling up of our culture and tradition worldwide? Every circle that the season takes, one or two movies get to the apex where they end there because of no support from any. There are also times where passion needs support to pop out of the box.

When the definition of culture is a vast Pandora, why end up with sports? Why don’t we give few lakhs to those national awardees? Don’t tell me you don’t have by coming with a very costly car? It’s not going to be only for encouragement, it’s all about finding facilities for next level.

Many of the folk dancers and singers give up their passion and searched for a government job because they don’t want to go to bed hungry. If the government also pays them well; then all our unique cultures will fly across the globe. But for now, they are just an item for specific functions due to their over-passion.

The main focus to be focused on is the sections of the art and culture. To start any newness in individuality to a new environment, art and culture creates the definition of our adaptation. Just said is theoretical and we keep that on tips, reacting at the earliest will be a wise decision for all this descriptions. Telling you a small story of talent discrimination; there was this boy who was crazily passionate about singing and another boy who was crazy about inventions in science. They were the boys of the same parents but the first boy always got scolding from top. Kept on moving with, “What will ‘singing’ do in life?” and carried on with, “Be like you brother, if you want to shine.”

Why their parents create an inferiority complex in the heart of boy over what he loves the most? Why this partiality in talents? This is indeed standing against the term call ‘uniqueness.’ To draw more practical, a man joining in Olympics or any games is being shown and telecast in media millions of times; the whole country’s attention is being gained in a blink.

What about the man going for getting ‘national awards?’ He need to borrow money to book the ticket for taking the awards, he have to go to the media houses to inform what he got and he will be left with no support from the government.

The only way to end this nightmare is to create a destructive tool for this talent discrimination. We are living in a society and overall growth is what we ask for. Through this writing, I voice my wants by pulling my feelings towards the questionable zone to make the wanted spot realize that we need to support the people of diverse talents.

All those who are pulling up must be taken on account and officials should help them create more futuristic scopes for them.