Speaking with Biswadeep Gupta, Managing Trustee of the KRC Foundation, Commandant Padma Shri Nameirakpam Kunjarani Devi the Olympian from Northeast India and one of the country’s most decorated weightlifters shared her heartfelt message of unity and encouragement as she praised the Foundation’s upcoming North East Integrated Rally, scheduled from January 4 to February 4, 2026.

“Whenever there is an initiative that speaks of unity and strength, I feel deeply connected to it,” she said. “We’ve already lived our time. It’s now for the young stars, the next generation, to carry this energy forward. This initiative by the KRC Foundation is a wonderful and powerful step. I support it wholeheartedly, not just as a Manipuri but as a citizen of India. I wish the Foundation great success and pray for peace, progress, and prosperity during this mission.”

Her words carried the same conviction that defined her journey—a story of resilience, discipline, and quiet dominance in a sport that rarely made headlines when she began.

The Rise of a Champion

Kunjarani Devi’s tryst with weightlifting began in 1985. From the very start, she was unstoppable. Year after year, she dominated the National Weightlifting Championships, winning gold after gold in the 44 kg, 46 kg, and eventually, the 48 kg categories. By 1987, she had already set two national records in Trivandrum.

When she switched to the 46 kg category, she clinched gold at Pune in 1994. Four years later, in Manipur, she competed in the 48 kg class and earned silver—proof that even after more than a decade of competition, she remained among the best.

Making India Proud

Kunjarani’s international debut came at the 1989 World Women’s Weightlifting Championship in Manchester, where she won three silver medals. It was a moment of recognition that put both her and India on the world weightlifting map. She went on to compete in seven consecutive World Championships, earning medals in all but one—the 1993 Melbourne edition. Though she never stood atop the podium, her consistent silver finishes spoke of her unmatched perseverance.

At the Asian Games, she won bronze medals in Beijing (1990) and Hiroshima (1994) and came close again in Bangkok (1998). But it was in the Asian Weightlifting Championships that her brilliance truly shone.

Starting in Shanghai in 1989 with one silver and two bronze medals, she built a legacy of consistency—three silvers in Indonesia (1991), more in Thailand (1992) and China (1993), and her career-best performance in South Korea (1995), where she struck two gold and one bronze. Even as competition intensified, she added more medals in Japan (1996)—two silvers and a bronze.

A Trailblazer and a National Icon

Kunjarani’s achievements earned her every major sporting honour India could bestow. The Arjuna Award came in 1990. She shared the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna—the country’s highest sporting recognition—with tennis ace Leander Paes in 1996–97. The same year, she received the K.K. Birla Sports Award. In 2011, the Government of India conferred on her the Padma Shri, a fitting tribute to her lifelong contribution to Indian sport.

Over her career, she has collected more than fifty international medals. Her defining moment came at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, where she won gold in the 48 kg category, setting a Games record with a combined lift of 166 kg—72 kg in snatch and 94 kg in clean and jerk.

Beyond the Podium

Today, N. Kunjarani Devi serves as a Commandant and nodal officer for the Central Sports Team of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). Her influence extends far beyond competition—she has helped shape India’s sporting future as part of the committee that recommended the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna and Arjuna Award recipients in 2014, and as coach of the Indian women’s weightlifting team for the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

A Message That Resonates

At 60, Kunjarani Devi remains a symbol of strength—physical, moral, and national. Her message during the KRC Foundation event wasn’t about nostalgia; it was about purpose.

Her voice, steady and grounded, carried a simple truth: unity and dedication are as vital to a nation’s progress as they are to an athlete’s victory.

As the North East Integrated Rally prepares to set off, her words echo a spirit that has guided her entire life—discipline, humility, and an unwavering belief in the power of collective strength.

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