Guwahati: Almost two years after legendary boxer Dingko Singh passed away battling liver cancer, his wife Ngangom Babai Devi finally breathed a sigh of relief when she bagged a job with the SAI’s Special Area Games (SAG) Khuman Lampak sports complex.
Babai took up the opportunity, albeit on a contractual basis, a fortnight ago. “It’s a relief to get the job. I want to take this opportunity to thank you for supporting my cause during this tough phase of my life. It’s a fresh start for me, and my two children,” an emotional Babai told EastMojo during a telephonic conversation in which she broke down describing her plight before bagging a stable income source.
“After speaking to the SAI DG over the phone a couple of times, I decided to travel to New Delhi to check if my case was being considered. On reaching the national capital, I spoke to the director again, and he assured me of help.
“Last month, I got a call from the Imphal office regarding the job offer, and I considered taking it up even though it’s a contractual position. They are saying there’s no vacancy for a permanent position at the moment, and therefore, this was the best possible option for me. I am happy now,” she said.
After all, how long can she and her two children survive on the Bangkok Asian Games gold medallist’s pension from the Indian Navy?
With EMIs for personal loans, housing loans and children’s education to support, Babai was finding it difficult to manage the financial burden looming over her since Dingko’s death. The couple’s son Dingson, 21, is in the third year of his graduation while their 16-year-old daughter Arena is in 10th standard, both studying in Imphal.
“Kharcha kitna badh gaya hai (expenses are soaring), it is difficult to manage as we have to solely depend on the pension amount (Rs 39,000) from the Indian Navy, where Dingko was employed as a Master Chief Petty Officer. There are EMIs for a home loan and personal loans besides supporting my children’s education. They are growing up and have to focus on their career, rather than thinking about the finances,” Babai said.
When this reporter probed her about the pension for sportspersons, especially for the medallists of the Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and Olympics, she said all those funds stopped a decade ago.
“If I can recollect correctly, that amount almost stopped some 10 years back when we were in Mumbai. Apart from the Indian Navy pension, we have no other source of income now,” she said.
Interestingly, the union sports ministry had recently revised the rates under the scheme for pension to meritorious sportspersons, assuring a monthly income through Annuity. Under the scheme, a gold medallist at the Asian Games/CWG/Para Asian Games is eligible for a monthly sum of Rs 14,000.
Also, the newly implemented Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay National Welfare Fund for Sportspersons, promises “an ex-gratia financial assistance, not exceeding Rs 5.00 lakh in each case, is provided to the families of deceased outstanding sports persons living in indigent circumstances.”
Deprived of any benefits from the schemes, Babai was seeking a job at the SAG complex, where her husband was posted as a senior coach.
On Tuesday, while sharing the news with EastMojo, Babai said she feels motivated to work at the same place where her husband was posted. The job could fetch her about Rs 30,000.
Babai knows she doesn’t have the qualifications to replace Dingko, as a coach, and hence had applied for a job in the administrative department, in August last year.
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“I know I can’t fit in Dingko’s place as a boxing coach, so I decided to apply for a job in the administrative department. The engagement will help me utilize my free time and earn something to support my children. I had submitted my educational certificates and other documents to the SAG director,” she had said in an earlier interview with EastMojo.
“Everyone recalls Dingko as a legend, as a sportsman who left a rich legacy, but once he’s gone, no one bothers to care how his family is coping with the loss,” Babai said.
Babai had also appealed to state Chief Minister Biren Singh, a former footballer himself, urging him to be compassionate to her cause, and help her with a suitable job to support her family.
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