Manipur Shuttler Kimkim flees from her turmoil stricken State, finds new home in Hyderabad

Kimkim, champion of Manipur Hill Districts Badminton Championships last year, has been making headlines as a rising badminton star back home

Hyderabad: Manipur has been a goldmine of sporting talents in the country. But the recent ethnic violence between Meitei and Kuki communities led to the athletes leaving the State as many lost their home, property and no sporting activities for a while.

A 10-year-old Kimkim Khongsai, a Manipur badminton champion, along with her parents escaped from the violent clashes in her hometown to Dibrugarh in Assam where her relatives live in May in order to save their lives. Her parents had no idea how to advance their daughter’s badminton career.

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But destiny had other plans for the Khongsai family, which is part of Kuki community, as they received a call from Suchitra Badminton Academy, proposing to enroll the shuttler Kimkim into their academy.

“When I saw an article on Kimkim which was there on facebook, stating she escaped from Manipur, I immediately contacted Manipur Badminton Association and got in touch with her parents”, said Pradeep Raju, co-founder and head coach, Suchitra Badminton Academy.

“I saw a few videos of her playing. She is naturally gifted, with very good footwork and strokeplay,” he added. The Hyderabad-based academy is where the two-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu is training currently.

Hailing from a humble background at Kangpokpi district in Manipur, Kimkim’s mother Hoichong Khongsai works as a school teacher while her father Jangkholim Khongsai is a social worker. Both were also medal winners in several badminton events in the veteran category in the State.

Kimkim, champion of Manipur Hill Districts Badminton Championships last year, has been making headlines as a rising badminton star back home. She picked up the badminton racquet at a tender age of six and started playing because of her parents who used to engage in the game of badminton every day.

“On evenings after our office, we used to play badminton in a nearby court and she used to accompany us. Kids mimic whatever their parents do. Similarly she used to imitate us playing at the court”, revealed Kimkim’s mother.

Upon landing in Assam from home, Khongsai family wanted Kimkim to continue playing badminton. However, they were clueless given the tough situation. After receiving the call from the Suchitra Badminton Academy, they decided to bring Kimkim to Hyderabad. “We had a discussion with Pradeep sir and decided to join her in the academy, which we thought would be the best thing for her”, she added.

The academy provides her skilled coaching with modern facilities as the beleaguered parents now see a ray of hope for her future. However, her parents are now back in Manipur safeguarding their own land, unsure whether the State will be a peaceful place again and their daughter will ever be able to visit them.