Knocking out an opponent is just one of the very few things, Mary Kom has accomplished over a period of time
Knocking out an opponent is just one of the very few things, Mary Kom has accomplished over a period of time.
Her life has changed drastically ever since the former’s appearances in the boxing ring.
The world might have seen many top notch female boxers but India, hardly produced any. But the year 2000, a lady from the north east, a region of India which is highly traceable and the natives are ‘ghettoed’ by the citizens, gave this country a rising star.
Not a young woman or a tall, dark and handsome man but a mother of two!
Yes, her name was Mangte Chungneijang Mary Kom. Mary was born to a poor tribal family in Manipur’s Kangathei village. Her grandmother named her ‘Mary’ which meant ‘prosperous’ in their lingual tribe.
It was not long before Mary found inspiration from her native fellow boxer Dingko Singh who had clinched gold at the 1998 Asian Games.
Since then, the lady was found herself into the sport so much that she moved to Imphal to train in athletics. Even after ignoring her family’s calls for not taking up sports, Mary tried her level best to get into the sporting world. She would train late into the nights, even after academies’ students went away into their homes but the former tried punching the bag so hard, eventually it would fall.
In the year 2001, Mary lost in the final and had to settle for a silver medal at the AIBA World Championships.
A year later, she returned, now stronger and competitive, clinched her first ever gold medal at the event.
Down the years, Mary Kom continued to dominate the women’s boxing category till the year 2006 where she took an eminent break due to the birth of her twins. She returned onto the boxing ring once again, in 2008, winning her 4th successive World Championships.
Glories followed for the ‘Magnificent Mary’, a title stated by the All India Boxing Association for her past achievements.
Mary kept getting the rewards for the patience and hard work, she had put in. After all those troubles in the boxing ring and outside it, Mary walked away with many posthumous titles that included the Arjuna Award in 2004, Padma Shri Award in 2006 and the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna in 2009 for her achievements in Boxing.
That did not stop there, as Mary became the first female Indian boxer to win a medal (bronze) at the Olympics (2012). And since then, a mother of two and proud wife, has not looked back. With some efforts from the government and charitable trusts, Mary is also a proud owner of a India’s first ever ‘female fight club’.
This country has seen some major downpour over the years.
Especially the women, who have been neglected, ignored and ashamed by the male superiority! Our politicians, sportstars, directors, chairpersons, bank managers etc. have all seen the rise of the alpha male. Women were never counted and it will never be this way but, there’s always a but!
Women have matched toe to toe with the male counterparts in our country and the best example one can give is none other than MC Mary Kom.
A daughter, mother, wife and a player; Mary has carved a niche for other women as well, who are fighting their own battles.
Priyanka Chopra might have brought alive the character of ‘Mary’ on the big screen, but the legacy of ‘Magnificent Mary’ lives on.
