India’s rich historical legacy has been magnificently embellished with the names of several female sportspersons who have time and again made their country proud. Deepika Kumari, the Phogat Sisters, Sania Mirza, Saina Nehwal, PV Sindhu, and the list goes on. One of the names on this list is Mary Kom, whose journey from the rugged terrains of Manipur to the Commonwealth Games was nothing short of a dazzling dream that came true because of her undying passion to shine the brightest, shattering all stereotypes that threatened to restrict her potential and compel her to walk the same path of life as the other girls belonging from the families of farmers usually do. Mary Kom fuelled with her unparalleled grit and indomitable wish to become a boxer, looked right into the eyes of society, stamped all the criticism under her feet, and walked straight towards her goal, hands inside boxing gloves. Let’s walk through Mary Kom biography which Inspire Generations Through Her Boxing Triumphs and Life Story.
Born as Mangte Chungneijang Kom in the year 1982, in the Kagathei Village of rural Manipur, Mary was the eldest of three siblings. Being a keen wrestler, her father had perhaps passed on the bug of being a fighter in her. As a result, the humble surroundings and the struggles of the life of tenant farmers never bothered her, nor restrained her from simultaneously juggling farm-related chores, education, and boxing lessons. Still at school, Mary Kom took up a great amount of interest in 400-meter running and javelin throw and found a lot of inspiration from a fellow Manipuri called Dingko Singh who won the gold medal for the 1998 Bangkok Asian Games. This inspiration convinced her to officially take up boxing, especially after she was unable to complete her matriculation exam. Her first boxing coaching started under K. Kosana Meitei of Imphal, and at the age of 15, she left her hometown and enrolled in the Imphal Sports Academy. Being a very hardworking girl, she did not take long to pick up the basic intricacies of boxing and soon started training under coach M Narjit Singh. Mary Kom did not initially divulge her interest in boxing openly to her father to stop him from getting worried, and thinking about the prospects of her marriage should she pursue sports. However, this kind of inspirational story cannot be shrouded in mystery for very long and soon enough in the year 2000, her photograph after winning the state boxing championship revealed everything to her father, who finally gave up all his second thoughts and openly supported Mary in her pursuit.
The journey of Mary Kom unfolded in the boxing ring and continued to leave indelible marks in the form of milestones she has achieved. Like every other woman who gives up on their dreams and plans of a bright career after experiencing motherhood, everybody thought that Mary would do the same after giving birth to her twins in the year 2007. However, like always she proved everyone wrong when she started training immediately after giving birth and even went on to win the silver medal in the Asian Women’s Boxing Championship 2008 and also the gold medal for the fourth time at the 2008 AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships held in China. In the year 2009, she won a gold medal at the Asian Indoor Games in Vietnam followed by another gold medal at the Asian Women’s Boxing Championships held in Kazakhstan and Barbados. By then it was quite clear that Mary Kom is like an unstoppable tornado who is not going to let anything slow her down as she blazed her trail towards fame and success. Mary Kom was the first woman who qualified for the London Olympics and also won a bronze medal for India in the boxing category.
The extraordinary journey of Mary Kom extends far beyond her world of boxing. Her life took an entirely different turn after she joined the parliament in the year 2016 as a Rajya Sabha member. Mary also explored her philanthropic endeavours as an animal rights activist and an active member of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Her advocacy for PETA was evident in her support for Compassionate Citizen as well as her letter to the education ministers of the different Indian states and Union territories to incorporate the program into the school curriculums. She believes in teaching compassion to the youth to make them abstain from violence of all kinds. She believes in promoting respect and kindness from the grassroots level of the children so that they grow into humble and selfless individuals who could make a positive impact on society.
Mary Kom is the embodiment of not only athletic triumph, but also grace, humility, and true greatness, who braved all the challenges in her way of fulfilling her dreams with her perseverance and hard work. She has left behind a legacy of resilience and unwavering determination which continues to inspire young girls who are not afraid of dreaming, nor are cowered by the glares of society, trying to tame them down to shape them into the stereotypical images of women in the patriarchal society. Mary Kom continues to be a role model for anyone who believes in fighting for what is right and staying focused on the path that would take them straight toward their goal at an incredible speed. Not only has she brought great honour to the country with all her winning titles and success, but she continues to be the symbol of empowerment for all the women of India.