Simply Mary

Had Mary Kom been heavier,her arms longer and stronger,she might have finished higher on the podium is a widely shared assessment about the 29-year-old mother’s 51 kg semi-final loss. With the Olympics not opening doors for women boxers who tilt the scale in the 40s range — a weight the daughter of landless labourers from a village near Imphal has effortlessly maintained for over a decade while winning five world titles — Mary carried a handicap into the London ring. But the small,stout woman with an inborn iron will stretched every sinew to reach out for her lanky opponents to fulfil the lofty,and at times unrealistic,medal hopes of believers back home. Being shorter and lighter didn’t bother her. Disadvantages have never dismayed her. The girl from the Northeast has always made the most of her limited resources and today the sound of her hard punches has drawn the world’s attention to a region that is mostly in the news for the curfew and the killing and is only connected by a thread to the mainstream.

A tomboy in her teens,Mary’s defiance at home wasn’t limited to cutting her hair short and avoiding pink. Her audacity was more “scandalous”. She switched from athletics to boxing. A risky choice,considering athletics has had a history of rags-to-riches success stories. Boxing,especially in the ’90s,only promised long sweaty hours in stuffy halls,black eyes and blows to the rib cage.

As Mary left home to walk the different path,she found herself locked in several unscheduled bouts. Without gloves,she confronted stuck-up officials,biased coaches and grappled with the stigma of being seen as an alien in her own country. But Magnificent Mary from Manipur has conquered all,and the ring.