MC Mary Kom is one of the greatest role models in the country. Over the years, the highly decorated pugilist has become an unofficial ambassador for her home state of Manipur. It was due to this that she was made a nominated member of Rajya Sabha, the upper house of Indian Parliament.
While enjoying nationwide fame and a great fan following, Mary hasn't forgotten her roots and continues to represent her state in the most admirable manner. On June 26, there was another wonderful gesture from the former world champion that would help people around the country become more aware of the beautiful culture of her state.
Kom arrived at Parliament dressed in a beautiful outfit that belongs to her tribe – Kom – of Manipur. While the dress is traditional, the particular variety she wore has been especially designed for the champion boxer and even named after her – Mary Kom Ponvei. The 2012 Olympic bronze-medallist gave this information on her Twitter page and also shared some pictures of her wearing the outfit in the premises of the Parliament building. The dress that the boxer donned consisted of a red wraparound cloth along with a dupatta-like garment of the same colour.
The 36-year old has won the world championship six times, on the first four occasions in the pinweight category and the last two times in the light-flyweight. She moved from pinweight to light flyweight in order to be able to compete in the Olympics after women's boxing was introduced in that event and pinweight wasn't going to feature.
She achieved success at the 2010 Asian Games in the form of a bronze while at the 2012 London Olympics, she picked up one of the four bronze medals that India won. Last year, she claimed gold at the Commonwealth Games and picked up her sixth World Championship victory.
Mary Kom was nominated as a Rajya Sabha member in 2016. In 2013, she received Padma Bhushan – the third-highest civilian award of the country.
