Kom on Mary
After years of struggle, Mary Kom, is finally getting her due.
MC Mary Kom is exhausted. After the Olympic bronze win on August 8, she has been pursued relentlessly by the media. Magazines are writing paeans to her success, even as she does the rounds of TV studios, for interviews with talk show hosts and sports commentators who’re only too happy to celebrate India’s newest sporting icon.
Her media managers have been able to squeeze us in for a shoot on August 15— a day after Mary and her family returned from London. It’s apparent that she hasn’t had a minute of peace . She takes an involuntary nap in the make- up chair between taking questions, oblivious to her managers who’ve worked themselves into a frenzy, negotiating endorsement deals and cover interviews that will decide the fate of Brand Mary. The 29- year- old boxer, who won a bronze at the London Olympics in the 51- kg category, is trying on her star persona like a pair of new shoes. Initially reluctant to step out of her room in a gown and make- up, she’s soon making a game face at the camera. “Want me to pose like a model?” she asks an impromptu audience, who instantly whip out cameras and phones to capture the five- time world champion’s lighter moments. These days Mary has a lot of these— she laughs easily, showers her five- year- old twin boys with affection and looks incredibly like a teenager with errant blonde streaks and little English and Indian flags painted onto her nails.
“Life is very different now, but not in a negative way,” says the serene Onler Kom, 38, husband, mentor and solid rock of support to his superstar wife. Her twins Rengpa and Nai Nai constantly run into the shots, demanding their mother’s attention, angry at the world for not letting her be. Not that Mary minds. After 12 long years of