Dr Thangjam Dhabali Singh: A Lifetime Award for Transforming Manipur’s Healthcare, Hospitality and Tourism
Short summary
Dr Thangjam Dhabali Singh, Chairman and Managing Director of the BABINA Group of Companies, was conferred the Life-Time Achievement Award 2025 by the Mylai Thiruvalluvar Tamil Sangam (MTTS), Chennai, in collaboration with IIIT Manipur. The ceremony took place at the Swamy Vivekananda Auditorium, IIIT Mantripukhri, Imphal, where Manipur University Vice-Chancellor Prof. N. Lokendra Singh presented the honour. The award recognises Dr Dhabali’s decades of work building diagnostic laboratories, hospitals (including a cancer institute), improving hospitality infrastructure, founding the Manipur Tourism Forum, and helping establish the Imphal Peace Museum — efforts that have created jobs and raised Manipur’s profile at home and abroad.
Opening — why a single award matters to an entire state
Think of a community’s progress like a garden. One gardener can start a bed of vegetables, but to transform the whole yard — the flowerbeds, the fruit trees, the pathways — you need sustained vision, sweat, and, yes, leadership that others want to join. That’s the story the Life-Time Achievement Award tells about Dr Thangjam Dhabali Singh: it’s not just a shiny plaque, it’s recognition that one person’s steady work has helped reshape parts of Manipur’s public life — from how people access healthcare, to how visitors experience the state, to how a difficult history is remembered and reconciled.
The who/what/where — the ceremony in brief
The award ceremony was held at IIIT Mantripukhri’s Swamy Vivekananda Auditorium on 9–10 August 2025 (reported Aug 10, 2025). The Life-Time Achievement Award was presented by Prof. N. Lokendra Singh, Vice-Chancellor of Manipur University, with dignitaries from MTTS and IIIT Manipur in attendance. The collaboration of a Chennai cultural body (MTTS) with a local technical institute to honour a Manipur entrepreneur is itself a sign of Dr Dhabali’s cross-regional influence.
Final thoughts — an award that signals possibility
The Life-Time Achievement Award for Dr Thangjam Dhabali Singh recognizes more than one person’s accomplishments; it applauds a model: trained professionals returning home, investing in institutions, and knitting local needs with international partners. That kind of story is rare in regions where brain drain often takes people away. Here, the award celebrates rooted leadership — the kind that helps a garden grow into an orchard, slowly, steadily, and with real fruits for people to eat.
Five FAQs (unique & succinct)
Q1: Who presented the Life-Time Achievement Award to Dr Thangjam Dhabali Singh?
A1: The award was presented by Prof. N. Lokendra Singh, Vice-Chancellor of Manipur University, at a ceremony hosted by MTTS and IIIT Manipur.
Q2: What are the main sectors Dr Dhabali has contributed to?
A2: He has made notable contributions to healthcare (diagnostics and hospital care, including oncology), hospitality, and tourism/cultural preservation (Manipur Tourism Forum and Imphal Peace Museum).
Q3: Did Dr Dhabali work with any international partners?
A3: Yes — his work on the Imphal Peace Museum involved partners such as the Nippon Foundation, Sasakawa Peace Foundation and the Japanese Embassy, and his cancer institute partnered with the American Oncology Institute for advanced oncology services.
Q4: How many people are employed by Dr Dhabali’s ventures?
A4: Reports indicate his ventures collectively employ over 1,250 professionals across healthcare, hospitality and allied services.
Q5: Where can I learn more about the Imphal Peace Museum?
A5: Information and partner statements about the Imphal Peace Museum — its mission and anniversary events — are available from the Nippon Foundation and related press releases documenting the museum’s establishment and programming.
