IMPHAL, February 21: The Thadou Tribe (Manipur) students in Bengaluru, on behalf of the Manipur Representative participated in the first ever `International Tribal Games (ITG)` in Kaanteerava Stadium, Kasturba Road, Bengaluru on February 18 and 19, a release of TSA-B said.
The event was an initiative of `Touching Soul`- an NGO based in Delhi and organized by Essensia Event Management, Delhi. It was also supported by the Govt of Karnataka and sponsored by GAIL, ARTS, NALCO, Indian Oil, VIZAG, The Eminence Group, The Ace India, Rao Air Travels, ONGC AND RCF Companies, it said.
The representative of Manipur was to be organized by Tara Manchin Hangzo, who came all the way from Manipur. She was entrusted by Ashfhag who is the Personal Assistant of Oscar Fernandez, Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha through `Trusting Soul` `“ A Delhi based NGO, the release further said.
`Due to shortage of funds, in the eleventh hour, I was assign to form Manipur Delegates among the Tribal people who are living in Bengaluru so as to minimize the budget as requested by Sabina` said Tara Manchin Hangzo to the TSA-B.
`The proposal, at first was to be 30 Athletes from Manipur Tribal wherein the Logistics and Transportation will be fully funded by the ITC but the promised was in vain` Manchin added.
The delegates from Manipur was to be 30 in numbers but due to the crunch in funding and long distance the organizers cancelled their participation in the last minute causing misunderstanding and disappointments says Tara Manchin Hangzo.
She was entrusted with the responsibility of sourcing participants from the local Manipuri populace living in Bangalore itself ultimately that`s how the Thadou student participated, it said.
Even though the invitation came just one day ahead of the event, the TSA-B managed to represent Manipur Team, coordinated by Manchin.
Transportation and Logistics served by the event management was not well managed, it maintained.
`We also have not received the Shoes which were to be distributed. We also express our complete dissatisfaction to this ITG. There were no foreign participants to be seen in the event. The question is who is this event organizer for because we felt used and exploited? It`™s a show for the organizers and the local residents were not in attendance,` it said.
`We strongly condemned such fake events organized in the name of Tribals,` it said.
`We urged the concerned authority to look into the matter in the interest of the Tribal people and for end of injustice,` said the release signed by president of TSA-B Michael Haokip.