From a Common Village Girl to the Most Admired Woman in India – Mary Kom is the Perfect Example of Women’s Empowerment

According to a 2019 survey, Mary Kom has topped the list of the most admired woman in India beating many famous Bollywood and Political women personalities.

The survey was conducted on 42,000 people by YouGov across 41 countries.

Former US president’s wife Michelle Obama has topped the women’s list at the Global level.

Contrary to the popular blind belief, ‘A Woman is Weak both Physically and Mentally’, India has witnessed many strong women for centuries. From the ancient era to modern technology, Indian women have been fighting against the odds and emerging as stronger and more motivational human beings. They have created their foothold in almost all fields of careers and set themselves as an evergreen example for future women generations.

Renowned boxer Mary Kom is one such example of a strong Indian woman. Mary Kom is the only Indian woman to become the World Amateur Boxing champion six times and qualified for the 2012 London Summer Olympics where she won a bronze medal. Additionally, she is also the first Indian woman boxer to win a Gold Medal in the 2014 Asian Games held in South Korea and at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

• Furthermore, Mary Kom is also known to have been the Asian Amateur Boxing Champion five times.
• She is conferred as “Meethoi Leima” i.e. an exceptional lady by the Government of Manipur.
• She is also nicknamed as “Magnificent Mary”.

With respect to her groundbreaking achievements, Bollywood has released a Hindi movie named “Mary Kom” with actress Priyanka Chopra as the lead.

Recently she was accredited as the most admired celebrity in India. She has beaten Kiran Bedi, Lata Mangeshkar and Bollywood celebrities like Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra. Her admiration score in 10.36% as per the survey conducted by YouGov’s most admired persons in India and the World.

Born in the small village of Kangathei in Manipur, Mary Kom was shouldered with many responsibilities since her childhood. Her parents worked as tenant farmers in fields. Mary helped her parents in their fieldwork, took care of her siblings, and attended school.

During her school days, she took an interest in athletics especially javelin and running. But it was in 1998 that she started learning boxing after getting inspired by Dingko Singh, a Manipuri boxer who returned with a gold medal in boxing during Bangkok Asian games.

Initially, her deviation from boxing was not approved by her parents. They feared that this may disturb the chances of her marriage. But her passion for boxing and hard-working nature kept her going and she fought all the hurdles coming in her way.

Her determination and hard work paid off when she won a Gold Medal in the 1998 Asian Games. Thereafter, she never turned back and went to become National Boxing Champion 5 times in a row.

Her dedication to boxing made her the first woman to qualify for the 2012 London Olympics and win a bronze medal.

Mary never let her success go to her head and she kept learning and moving forward.

She is a doting mother to 3 children and a humble wife. She credits all her success to her supportive husband.

She has started her own academy where she teaches boxing to young girls and motivates them to fulfill their dreams.