It was a bright September morning with a deep blue sky above with pieces of white cloud floating here and there.

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The mild breeze made everyone fresh and energetic.

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From the verandah of the small house Saneikham Called out, “Mary, Mary, where are you?”

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There was no reply.

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She muttered to herself, “Where has this girl gone, so early in the day?”

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Coming to the gate she looked around and saw the sprightly girl running and kicking a ball with some boys in a small field nearby.

 

Seeing that, she smiled but she called again, raising her voice slightly, “Mary, Mary, come here at once.”

 

The girl gave a mighty kick to the ball, turned and came running to her mother.

 

Saneikham said. “Mary, do you remember that you are a girl?”

“Yes, mother, I remember.”

“Do you also remember what a girl is supposed to do first in the morning?”

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Mary remained silent but the mother continued,

“A girl is supposed to help her mother in doing some of the domestic chores and after that she has to study for some time, shouldn’t she?”

“Yes, mother, I can do that very easily. But, I want to play also. Please allow me to play freely.”

Yes, you can play, but with girls only, and not with boys. You remember that.”

“But, I am bored with the games I play with girls. With the boys I can run, jump, kick and blow. That makes me happy and satisfied.”

This time the mother went on looking at her lively daughter with a meaningful smile and remained silent.

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This is the way M.C. Mary Kom grew up into full girlhood partly in the hills of Churanchandpur district and partly in the Imphal Valley of Manipur. She is the eldest of the four children of H Mangte Tonpa Kom and H Mangte Saneikham Kom. After matriculation she started taking keen interest in some items of athletics like pole vault, javelin throw, discus throw and sprint. She could not do anything really significant in these areas.

 

Then some time in the year 2000 she happened to see some boys and girls being trained in boxing at Khuman Lampak Sport Stadium. Soon she joined the training and after that she did not look back. Rigorous training under some of the leading coaches of Sport Authority of India (SAI) at Imphal continued for months.

 

In 2000 she became the best woman boxer in Manipur. After this, success and medals came to her one after another.

 

In December, 2000 she got Gold Medal in the 7th Open (Men and Women) Boxing championship held in West Bengal.

 

At National level she got gold medals in almost all the National Boxing Championships for women held at various parts of India.

 

In the 32nd national games held in Hyderabad also she won the gold medal.

 

Her achievement in the international level also are really extraordinary.

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In the first Women’s Boxing Championship held in Pennsylvania, (USA) she got the silver medal.

 

But in the second, third and the fourth World Boxing Championships held in Antalya (Turkey), Podolsk (Russia) and New Delhi respectively, she won gold medals.

 

She got Gold in 2nd and 3rd Asian Woman Boxing Championships in Haryana and Kaohsiung (Taiwan) also.

 

In addition to these, in the First World Women’s Boxing tournament held in Norway she got the gold medal and was adjudged the best boxer of the event.

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Her total tally in World Women’s Boxing Championships from 2001 (USA) to 2019 (Russia) are :

6 Gold, 1 Silver and 1 Bronze.

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Her total tally in Asian Championships are :

5 Gold and 2 Silver.

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Her total tally in Asian Games are :

1 Gold (Incheon 2014) and 1 Bronze (Guangzhou 2010).

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She has a Gold Medal in the Commonwealth Games (Gold Coast 2018)

and a Bronze Medal in the London Olympic Games (2012)

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Till date, she has won 13 Gold, 3 Bronze and 3 Silver medals Internationally.

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She is the only woman to win the World Amateur Boxing Championship six times, the only female boxer to have won a medal in each one of the first seven World Championships, and the only boxer (male or female) to win eight World Championship medals.

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She had also been ranked as the world's No. 1 female light-flyweight by the International Boxing Association (amateur) (AIBA)

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She is also the only boxer to become Asian Amateur Boxing Champion for a record six times.

The glorious record of success mentioned above is the result of a combination of talent, persistence and hard work. Discipline, deep sense of commitment to a cause and fighting spirit are also necessary for the kind of success that Mary Kom achieved.

 

In appreciation of her achievements, the Government of India honoured her with theArjunaAward in 2003 and the Padma Shri Award in 2005. In addition to these respectable national awards, she has been included in the People of the year, 2007 in Limca Book of Records. In 2008, Reliance Industries Limited and the TV channel CNN/IBN has awarded her as one of the ‘Real Heroes’.

 

After a two-year sabbatical to raise her family, she returned to the ring and started training with all seriousness and dedication to win more laurels for the nation.

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And what a return!

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On 24 November 2018, she created history by becoming the first woman to win 6 World Championships, achieving this feat at the 10th AIBA Women's World Boxing Championships held in New Delhi, India.

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With this win M.C. Mary Kom established herself as the most successful woman boxer of all time.

 

She was awarded the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award in 2008 for her briliant performance and achievement in women’s boxing in the world. 

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Mary Kom's National awards are as follows: 

Arjuna Award (Boxing), 2003

Padma Shri (Sports), 2006

Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, 2008

Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award, 2009

Padma Bhushan (Sports), 2013

Padma Vibhushan (Sports), 2020

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On 25 April 2016, the President of India nominated Kom as a member of the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian parliament.

 

In March 2017, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India, appointed Mary Kom along with Akhil Kumar as national observers for boxing.

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After her sixth world title in 2018, the Government of Manipur has conferred on her the title "Meethoi Leima", loosely translated as great or exceptional lady in a felicitation ceremony held in Imphal on 11 December 2018.

 

The stretch of road leading to the National Games village in Imphal West district, where Kom currently resides, is named as MC Mary Kom Road.

3. Word Notes:

indomitable : one who is strong, determined and difficult to defeat
pugilist : boxer
chores : daily household tasks.
persistence : quality of doing something in spite of difficulties
sense of commitment : attitude of working very hard
sabbatical : a time when somesone does not work from his or her regular job or profession

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SOLUTIONS
A. Based on your reading of the text complete the following sentences:

1. When called by her mother, Mary gave a mighty kick to the ball, turned and came running to her mother.

2. Mary’s mother asked her if she remembered that she was a girl.

3. Mary loved to play with the boys because with the boys she could run, jump, kick and blow.

4. After seeing some boys and girls being trained in boxing at Khuman Lampak Mary soon joined the training and after that she did not look back.

5. At the national level, Mary Kom got Gold Medal in almost all the National Boxing Championships for women held at various parts of India.

6. Her achievements at the International level also are really extraordinary.

7. Government of India honoured Mary Kom with the Arjuna Award in 2003 and the Padma Shri Award in 2005.

B. Answer the following questions in a sentence each:

Q1. ‘Coming to the gate she looked around and saw...’ What did Mary’s mother see?
Ans: Mary’s mother saw Mary running and kicking a ball with some boys in small field nearby.

Q2. How did Mary feel playing girls’ games?
Ans: Mary felt bored playing girls’ games.

Q4. What did Mary win at the Pennsylvania First Women’s Boxing Championship?
Ans: In the first Women's Boxing Championship, Mary won the silver medal.

Q5. When did Mary win the 7th Men and Women Boxing Championship held in West Bengal?
Ans: In December, 2000, Mary won the 7th Men and Women Boxing Championship held in West Bengal.

Q6. What laurel did Mary Kom earn in 2007?
Ans: Mary has been included in the people of the year, 2007 in Limca Book of Records.

Q7. How has Reliance Industries Limited and the T.V. Channel CNN/IBN honoured Mary Kom?
Ans: They honoured her as one of the ‘Real Heroes’.

Q8. Why did Mary Kom take a two-year sabbatical?
Ans: She took a two-year sabbatical to raise her family.

C. Answer the following questions briefly:

Q1. Seeing that, she smiled but raising her voice slightly, she called…’ why did Mary Kom’s mother smile on seeing her daughter give a mighty kick to a ball?
Ans: Mary Kom’s mother smiled on seeing her daughter because Mary was running and kicking a ball with some boys in a small field nearby.

Q2. “Do you also remember what a girl is supposed to do first in the morning”? What, according to Mary Kom’s mother, should a girl do in the morning?
Ans: According to Mary Kom’s mother, a girl was supposed to help her mother in doing some of the domestic chores and after that she had to study for some time.

Q3. Why did Mary Kom remain silent when her mother told to remember what a girl should do in the morning?
Ans: Mary Kom remained silent when her mother told her to remember what a girl should do because she had been playing instead of helping her mother in the house.

Q4. “Mother, please allow me to play freely” why did Mary Kom plead so with her mother?
Ans: Mary Kom pleaded with her mother, because she could do the domestic chores very easily. At the same time,  she wanted to play also.

Q5. How did Mary Kom, as a child, want to play?
Ans: As a child, Mary Kom wanted to run, jump, kick and blow with the boys.

Q6. Why did Mary’s mother remain silent with a meaningful smile when the girl told her how she wanted to play?
Ans: Mary’s mother remained silent with a meaningful smile when the girl told her how she wanted to play because she came to know that her daughter loved to play sports and was naturally competitive, even with boys.

Q7. “This is the way M.C. Mary Kom grew up into full girlhood” How did Mary Kom grow up?
Ans: Mary Kom grew up into full girlhood partly in the hills of Churachandpur district and partly in the Imphal valley of Manipur. 

Q8. What were the items of athletics in which Mary Kom took interest after passing matriculation?
Ans: Pole vault, javelin throw, discus throw and sprint.

Q9. “Then sometime in the year 2000 she happened to see….” What did Mary Kom see and what happened to her?
Ans: She happened to see some boys and girls being trained in boxing at Khuman Lampak Sport Stadium. Soon she joined the training and after that she did not look back.

Q10. What were the personal qualities that enabled Mary Kom to achieve a glorious record of success?
Ans: The glorious record of her success is the result of a combination of talent, persistence and hard work. Discipline, deep sense of commitment to a cause and fighting spirit are also necessary for the kind of success that Mary Kom achieved.