An Autobiography: Unbreakable

Prof. Ashish Madhav Talekar
Director of Physical Education
Shri Padmamani Jain College, Pabal

What a girl can dream of in spite of having unfavourable conditions- socio-economic and environmental? And what a woman can do and achieve despite being married, having children and not having sponsors to venture in the sports field? So, here is an inspiring and spurring autographical account of India’s one of the most eulogized athletes, Mary Kom, a world famous, renowned boxer in a book form entitled Unbreakable. The book comprises of seventeen chapters preceded by a prologue containing the expression of her dream that came true and her acknowledging gesture to God for making her dreams come true. The Afterword of the book celebrates the birth of the Mary Kom’s third son, Chungthanglen Prince. The book contains five annextures depicting Awards, Medals, Letters of Appreciations by Ministers, Word for Sponsors and the author’s favourite Bible verses.
The book begins with the author’s humble life in farmer’s family in the village Kangathei in Manipur. It speaks about how a girl living in a remote hilly village area can become a world champion in boxing with a sincere dedication, perseverance and unyielding spirit. Her journey from a poor background to a renowned one appeals to all and sundry especially to the persons aspiring to establish their image as a sportsperson. As a teenager, she had to face a lot of impediments, nonetheless she surmounted all the barriers with her unswerving endeavours and devotion. She praises and acknowledges the support which she has been receiving from her husband, Oneler. Her autobiography throws light on the gender discriminations and biases of the society against women in general and particularly women in sports. While choosing her career in boxing, she had to convince her father about the prospects women have in sports. In her childhood it was difficult for her father, Apa to make ends meet by only doing fishing, hunting and farming. Her mother used to do gardening and weaving. Sometimes her parents did not have enough money to pay school fees on time, therefore the three children were not allowed to enter the class until they paid the fees.
When she took to boxing training, she had to stay away from her family for practicing for competitions. But she showed the entire Indians that one’s sincere efforts and genuine passion for sports can help win not only the matches but also the hearts of the people and family. The book discusses her journey form winning the Arjun Award in 2003 to Padma Bhushan Awardin 2013. Chapter third of the book discusses her training schedule in detail. The book also discusses how she accepted a job of police sub inspector from sportsmen quota with a salary of 15000 rupees per month which gave her financial stability. After a hat-trick of world championship wins, people and media started callingher ‘Queen of Boxing’ and ‘Magnificent Mary’. The book throws light on the other side of the Manipur in which there is 27 lakh population and 30 militant groups who engage themselves in the acts of insurgency. The author discusses how the murder of her father-in law by unknown insurgent for unknown reason disturbed the lives of Mary Kom and his family. After this incident her husband was shattered and decided to take revenge of his father’s murder at any cost, even Mary decided to abandon her boxing career but when she became pregnant her husband regained his sanity and forsook the thought of taking revenge. And Mary returned to the ring of the boxing competition. Thus, the book is a story of indomitable spirit and sheer dedication. It is a must-read book for not only the sportsperson but also for anyone who aspires to sever the shackles of familial, societal and financial problems and wear a plume of triumph in his or her crown. The book also speaks about the author’s tryst with the world of glamour. After winning a medal in the Olympic, she was asked to attend many functions where she could get opportunities to share stages with several celebrities from different fields. Further she got accustomed to the acts of photo shoots, ribbon cutting, receiving prizes and awards. The book discusses how the author had to face difficulties when she was asked to deliver motivational speeches as she did not have oratory skills. The author writes about her proud moments when she finds billboards along the roads in Imphal bearing her picture with a caption ‘Our Kom-mitment to the nation’. The author unflinchingly raises her voice for the upliftment and glamourization of other sports other than cricket for which she incurred hostility from a tad faction of sports field. Finally, the book ends with a motivating enunciation: “My life is my message: nothing is impossible.”So,grab the book with your fist and knock out the impediments of your lives and taste the flavour of success.