If the recent Wall Street Journal and New York Times articles about Indian women in boxing intrigued you then you’ll probably want to keep an eye out for the documentary With This Ring by Ameesha Joshi and Anna Sarkissian, currently in post-production. Joshi became interested in Indian women boxers when she came across a photo of one in a Montreal exhibit and learned the “Indian team was one of the best in the world.”
The filmmakers have been following female boxers in India for a few years and were there when Indian women claimed victory at the 2006 World Women’s Boxing Championship in Delhi, winning medals in eight out of 13 categories. Joshi writes, “Mary Kom in particular caught our attention, she was and still is the most successful amateur boxer ever, yet no one in India or elsewhere even knew she existed. We were inspired by their incredible achievements despite all their struggles and wanted to share their stories with the world.”
In addition to the YouTube clip above, you can get a taste for those stories at the filmmakers’ production blog, which offers glimpses of their travel and work in India and China as well as brief introductions to individual boxers.
Sarita Devi won a gold medal in 2006 and at 27 she is one of the oldest boxers on the country’s team. She works as a police officer — you may have read about how boxing provides upward mobility for some athletes because the Indian government rewards winning athletes with government jobs, usually with the police or railway.
Chhoto Loura, three-time national champion, works for the railway in Haryana and their visit to her office reveals little work and a short work day, probably to allow time for training. “When she retires from boxing in a few years, it is expected that she will continue working like a regular employee.” Another boxer the filmmakers meet is Preeti Beniwal, who is pursuing a master’s degree in English literature.
They also spent time with India’s most acclaimed boxer, Mangte Chungneijang Merykom, better known as Mary Kom, from rural Manipur. She has won four gold medals in the International Boxing Association’s World Women’s Championships and hopes to win gold in the 2012 Olympic games in London, now that the IOC has decided to introduce women’s boxing to the summer games. (According to the Journal, an Olympic gold gets a boxer $100,000 from the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.) She is also an inspiration for girl boxers like the endearing Simmi Parveen, who was interviewed in the Journal’s video report.
Girls like Simmi Parveen, 12, dream of being the next Mary Kom. “This is an addiction for me. I will achieve something,” says Ms. Parveen, the youngest girl at the Khidderpore club. “When I’m somebody I wouldn’t have to go and look for a partner. Suitors will come themselves to talk to my brother and father for my hand. That’s why I want to stand on my own feet and do something.” (WSJ)
“No one in India…even knew that she [Mary Kom] existed.” Really? Well, clearly the Indian government did know, as Mary Kom was given a government job and is being awarded the Rajiv Gandhi award for sports achievement. Just because the chatterati (international and domestic) don’t know that someone exists, doesn’t mean that the person is not being recognized nationally for his or her efforts.
She’s getting the Gandhi award in a few days. I think Joshi is referring to back in 2006 and even before then, back when she became interested in Indian women’s boxing.
More power to these women ! Thanks for this post. I didn’t know about the movie…look forward to it.
Girls (boys too!) should do exercises–this helps tamp down rising scourges for us like diabetes. But boxing injures the opponent. It is thus not in line with the best of mainstream Indian values over the centuries. Army people have to learn this–ok, fine; but it’s not best for the more typical person pursuing the true path.
“No one in India…even knew that she [Mary Kom] existed.”
Unfortunately, aside from cricketers, most other sports-people are not that well-known.
That is true in professional boxing (tyson et al), but as a competitive sports it is hardly the case, esp in the weight category the women would be fighting in. Check out the boxing matches at olympics: hardly any injury.
One of the intangible benefits the athletes talk about in the nyt article is more self confidence, esp in the streets. I wonder when people will consider all-pervasive sexual harassment (endearingly called ‘eve-teasing’ in India) in the streets of India as not a mainstream Indian value over centuries ?
We can disagree, but I don’t think that teaching women (or even men) to be violent is the solution to sexual harassment or other social problems, including, for example, domestic violence. I’m sure I could “model” (in economic terms) a situation in which more aggression by the traditional victims would help, but this is not the Indian way, is it? Our commitment to and engagement with non-violence has not survived for centuries because it is stupid. Eve-teasing is a big problem back in the old country–but it is only going to be solved, I think, by more development, by more modern ways of thinking and being. The same is true of violence towards “lower-caste” people, or mis-treatment of religious or sexual minorities. But switching gears and becoming thoroughly-going violent people for our cause–that would be bad, too. I wouldn’t recognize that path as being part of our culture.
Well said zee@6. India seems to be emerging as a strong house for boxing with both men and women competing. When I was reading the boxing article yesterday, I thought this one would make a good movie–sort of like Spellbound.
That’s a lot of Indian rupees. I wonder if that number is right.
Love the story about the Kidderpore muslim girls though.
What struck me was Simmi’s comment – “When I’m somebody I wouldn’t have to go and look for a partner. Suitors will come themselves to talk to my brother and father for my hand. That’s why I want to stand on my own feet and do something.†She’s talking about not having to look for a partner at the age of 12..boxing to stand on her own feet so suitors will come to her..its a bit of strange logic, no? Great post by the way. I’ve been taking martial arts for the last couple of years and I love it. To me, its not about violence or destruction, its more building up confidence and respect in my own abilities and limitations. And I also think its a great way to teach kids discipline and self control.