Chapter 3.5 - Unbeatable Super Mom-Mary Kom
The lesson ‘Unbeatable Super Mom by Mary Kom shows that success is not an easy journey. “In a sports person’s life, pressure is always there; you have to deal with it.” In an interview with Sportskeeda correspondent Taruka Srivastava, Mary Kom revealed that in her journey to success, she got the support of family and friends, but climbing up the ladder of success was not an easy task. There were a lot of ups and downs, but this did not shake her determination. Inspired by boxer Dingko Singh, a gold medalist in the Asian Games in 1998, she started her career in boxing at a very young age and made her international debut at the tender age of 18. She hopes that her victories inspire us to cease racial discrimination. She has proved what she can be in a zone that is thoroughly dominated by men. Being a mother herself, she is a motivation for most Indian women. An advice for everyone, especially women: “If you ever feel lost or hassled in life, remember there is someone like Mary Kom who did not give up.”
jhum : farming, shifting cultivation
humble surroundings : simple and poor conditions
debut : first public appearance or performance
reinforced : strengthened
a legend : one who makes history
elation : great joy
sunk in : realize and accept
exhilarated : very thrilled
sparring : motions of boxing during training, without landing actual blows
tactical : planned actions to gain victory
dodgy : unjust/partial
corporates : companies or industries
sponsor : organization that pays or aids sportsmen or a sports event
conditioning : becoming fit
saturated fats : unhealthy fats
OGQ : Olympic Gold Quest
stereotype : fixed ideas held as common standards
Warming up!
1. Discuss and find out the jobs which were done only by men in the past but nowadays women too have started doing them.
Ans: Pilots, trainers, drivers, mechanics, surgeons, butchers, politicians, coxswains coastguards, painters, business, corporators, etc.
2. Complete the following web of India’s winning medals in Olympics.
Ans:
The text is about a famous female boxer, Mary Kom, who has brought laurels to our country by winning many national and international boxing championships. Make a list of famous men and women boxers across the world. You can take help from the internet or your school library to get this information to complete the table.
Ans:
In Between The LESSON
Q1. What was Mary Kom’s exceptional achievement?
Ans: Mary Kom’s exceptional achievement was that In the 2012 Olympics, she became the first Indian woman boxer to qualify and win a bronze medal in the 51 kg flyweight category of Boxing.
Q2. What has added to her greatness as a boxing champion?
Ans: Mary Kom’s apology to the whole nation for not winning the Gold, in 2001, her international debut added to her greatness as a boxing champion.
Q3. How did Kom’s parents make a living?
Ans: Mary Kom’s parents were tenant farmers who worked in jhum fields and made a living.
Q4. What failed to pressurize Mary Kom during the Olympics?
Ans: Her confidence in herself, failed to pressurise Mary Kom during the Olympics.
Q5. What can help Indian Sportsmen to win more Olympic Medals?
Ans: If more Corporates come in and sponsor players, the players won’t have any financial pressure and can just focus on their games, thereby helping them to win more Olympic medals.
Q6. How did Mary Kom increase her weight?
Ans: Mary Kom increased her weight by eating the right kind of healthy food rather than bad saturated fats.
Q7. What did OGQ do for Mary Kom?
Ans: OGQ (Olympics Gold Quest) played an important part in Mary Kom’s success. They helped her out whenever she needed something. They took care of everything, which helped her focus on her boxing and kept her stress-free.
Q8. Is Mary Kom more proud of -being a boxer or a mother?
Ans: Mary Kom is more proud of being a mother than a boxer.
ENGLISH WORKSHOP
1. Choose the correct alternative and underline it.
(a) What is included in the text?
(i) story
(ii) speech
(iii) interview
(iv) poem
Ans: Option (iii) : interview
(b) Which State does Mary Kom belong to?
(i) Maharashtra
(ii) Tamil Nadu
(iii) Kerala
(iv) Manipur
Ans: Option (iv) : Manipur
(c) Who inspired Mary Kom and other youngsters in Manipur to choose boxing as a career?
(i) Dingko Singh
(ii) Charles Atkinson
(iii) Mangte Tonpa Kom
(iv) Adams
Ans: Option (i) : Dingko Singh
(d) What does Mary Kom prefer being called?
(i) Super mom
(ii) Super boxer
(iii) Super woman
(iv) Super being
Ans: Option (i) : Super mom
2. Go through the text again and find out the name of cities and their importance in Mary Kom’s life. One is given for you.
(a) Kangthei – Mary Kom’s birth place
Ans:
(b) Manipur – victory in State women’s boxing.
(c) West Bengal – victory in regional championship.
(d) USA – winning silver medal at the AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championship.
3. Go through the text again and complete the following sentences.
1. Mary Kom helped her parents with __________.
Ans: Mary Kom helped her parents with farm related chores.
2. The success of Dingko Singh inspired __________.
Ans: The success of Dingko Singh inspired Mary Kom and many youngsters in Manipur to try boxing.
3. Mary Kom made her debut at __________.
Ans: Mary Kom made her debut at the first ALBA women’s World Boxing Championship in US at the tender age of 18 years.
4. We can get more gold medals if __________.
Ans: We can get more gold medals if more people take up sports as a full-time career.
5. Mary Kom was able to increase her weight by __________.
Ans: Mary Kom was able to increase her weight by eating the right kind of healthy food.
6. Mary Kom is good at __________.
Ans: Mary Kom is good at cooking and other household work.
7. Mary Kom loves to be __________.
Ans: Mary Kom loves to be a mother.
8. Mary Kom apologised the nation for __________.
Ans: Mary Kom apologised the nation for not being able to win the Gold at the Olympics.
9. Kom’s parents were __________. Her father was __________.
Ans: Kom’s parents were tenant farmers. Her father was a keen wrestler in his younger age..
10. Kom was the first woman boxer to __________.
Ans: Kom was the first woman boxer to qualify and win a bronze medal in the Olympics.
4. You will find some Acronyms (short forms) in the text. Go to the library or search the internet to find their full forms. Discuss with your partner. One is given for you.
(a) OGQ – Olympic Gold Quest
(b) IBN –
Ans: Internet Business Network
(c) MTV –
Ans: Music Television Video
(d) YPA –
Ans: Yearly Plan of Action
(e) AIBA –
Ans: Association International de Boxe Amateur
(f) CNN –
Ans: Cable News Network
5. Fill in the fact file of Mary Kom.
(a) Full name :
(b) Native of :
(c) Early life and interests :
(d) Special sports taken up :
(e) Inspired by :
(f) Coach :
(g) Early achievements :
(h) International achievements :
(i) Her passion :
(j) Future plans :
Ans:
(i) Full name : Chungneijang Mary Kom
(ii) Native of : Manipur
(iii) Early life and interests : Poor family, parents tenant farmers
(iv) Special sport taken up : Boxing
(v) Inspired by : Dingko Singh
(vi) Coach : Charles Atkinson
(vii) Early achievements : Victory in Manipur state in 2000, regional championship in West Bengal in 2000
(viii) International Achievements : Silver medal at the AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championship.
(ix) Her passion : Boxing
(x) Future plans : Coaching Indian Women in boxing
6. Glance through the text and find the special qualities of Mary Kom. Complete the web by putting different qualities of Mary Kom in the boxes.
Ans:
7. ‘Super Mom’ refers to an excellent mother. Give three reasons why ‘super’ has been added to the word ‘mom’ as in the title.
Ans:
(i) She is good at cooking and other household work.
(ii) She loves to be called a Super Mom rather than a Super Boxer.
(iii) Along with managing her boxing, she manages her twins and being a super mom very well.
8. Answer the following questions in your own words.
(a) What makes the writer call Mary Kom ‘a legend’?
Ans: Being born and growing up in humble surroundings did not stop Mary Kom from following her passion. She not only went to school and helped her parents everyday at the farm, but also found time to pursue her passion. Inspired by the success of Dingko Singh, she too decided to give boxing a try although it was considered to be a man’s sport. She excelled in the state and regional boxing championships and forged ahead to win a silver medal at the international level at a tender age of 18 years, bringing glory and fame to our country, India. She was sorry for not winning the Gold for which she apologized to the nation, showing her greatness. She made history winning the silver at the international level and an idol for sports women and women in general that is why the writer calls her a legend.
(b) What prime quality did Mary Kom display during her first attempt in the Olympic games? What was her bad luck?
Ans: Mary Kom appreciated the qualities of her opponent. This shows the sportsmanship quality in her. Her bad luck was that the decisions of the judges were dodgy and were not in her favour.
(c) What does Mary Kom suggest, for India to win more Olympic Gold Medals?
Ans: Mary Kom suggests that if more people took up sports as a full-time career, India would win more Olympic Gold Medals.
9. Rearrange the facts below in their proper order, as per the text.
(a) Mary Kom made her first appearance at international level.
(b) She sparred with male boxers in Pune.
(c) Mary Kom won the Manipur State’s Women’s Boxing Championship.
(d) She won a bronze medal in the 2012 Olympics.
(e) Mary Kom decided to take up boxing.
Ans:
(e) Mary Kom decided to take up boxing.
(c) Mary Kom won the Manipur State’s Women’s Boxing Championship.
(a) Mary Kom made her first appearance at international level.
(b) She sparred with male boxers in Pune.
(d) She won a bronze medal in the 2012 Olympics.
10. Mary Kom prepared rigorously to win many championships. Read the text again and make a list of various things done by Kom regarding her preparations.
Variety of preparations
Diet
Focus
Ans: Mary Kom was interested in athletics since her childhood. She decided to take up boxing as her career and gave it her all. Her coach helped her prepare well for the Olympics and Mary Kom was a sincere student and learnt everything she needed to perfect her sport. She sparred with male boxers of the Indian contingent, She trained hard in Pune with the male boxers which helped her a lot. She focused on eating the right kind of healthy food which kept her in good shape. She is very optimistic about Indian boxing and is of the opinion that in the near future more boxers will get medals for India. She is a role model not only to sports women but also women in general. Although being a mother she balances between home and her career, giving equal justice to both which is a great inspiration to the women of today.
11. Make sentences of your own using the following words.
(a) debut
Ans:
(i) I made my debut as a singer when I was 10 years old.
(ii) His debut match was a success.
(b) elation
Ans:
(i) There was great elation in my locality when I was selected to play for the country.
(ii) On the result day, a feeling of elation washed over me when I was declared the topper.
(c) sponsor
Ans:
(i) He was the sponsor for my education.
(ii) He agreed to be my sponsor for my USA trip.
(d) reinforced
Ans:
(i) Her suspicious behavior reinforced my doubt.
(ii) The advice from my parents reinforced my desire to join the Forces.
(e) humble surroundings
Ans:
(i) Many achievers have grown up in humble surroundings.
(ii) Her success did not make her forget her humble surroundings.
12. Find antonyms of the following words from the text.
(a) Arrogant ×
Ans: humble
(b) Finally ×
Ans: initially
(c) Depressed ×
Ans: exhilarated
(d) Disqualify ×
Ans: qualify
(e) Diffident ×
Ans: confident
(f) Float ×
Ans: sink
13. Underline the subordinate clauses and state their kind.
(a) Enough has been said about this great warrior, who conquered the world. (Subordinate clause)
Ans: Who conquered the world – Adjective Clause.
(b) The male boxers kindly practised with me whenever I required them.
Ans: Whenever I required them – Adverb Clause.
(c) I think that more people should take up sports as a full-time career
Ans: That more people should take up sports as a full-time career – Noun Clause.
(d) Do you think nutrition is a neglected area in Indian sports?
Ans: Nutrition is a neglected area in Indian Sports – Noun Clause
(e) That’s the best thing, that has happened to me.
Ans: That has happened to me – Adjective Clause
(f) India managed just 6 medals in 2012 Olympics even though we are a nation of 1.3 billion people.
Ans: Even though we are a nation of 1.3 billion people – Adverb Clause
14. (A) Pick out from the lesson the Verb forms of :
(a) qualification
Ans: qualify
(b) negligence
Ans: neglect
(c) company
Ans: accompany
(d) decisions
Ans: decide
(e) practice
Ans: practise
(f) birth
Ans: born
(B) Pick out the Noun forms of :
(a) represent
Ans: representation
(b) change
Ans: change
(c) prepare
Ans: preparation
(d) achieve
Ans: achievement
(e) aware
Ans: awareness
(f) succeed
Ans: success
(C) Pick out the Adjective forms of :
(a) favour
Ans: favourable
(b) proportion
Ans: proportionate
(c) finance
Ans: financial
(d) nutrition
Ans: nutritive
(e) female
Ans: feminine
(f) addition
Ans: additional
15. Imagine that you are the Captain of your team. A famous cricketer is going to visit your school. You are assigned the task to conduct an interview with that famous cricketer. Frame a set of 10 questions that you will ask the cricketer. Take help of the points given below.
(a) Early life
(b) Interest in this field
(c) Inspiration
(d) Coaching and guidance
(e) Achievements/ Records
(f) Future plans
(g) Advice to youngsters
Ans: We have with us the God of cricket, Mr. Sachin Tendulkar. Good morning Sir, we are very fortunate to have you here to grace our school.
The 10 questions, I as the captain of our school cricket team would like to ask you are as follows:
(i) When did you start playing cricket?
(ii) How different was your childhood from the point of view of today’s generation?
(iii) What attracted you to the bat and ball?
(iv) Who was your role model while playing cricket and outside cricket?
(v) What role does the coaching and guidance you got play in your success?
(vi) How is it that you have your feet on the ground in spite of so many achievements and successes?
(vii) How differently would you play cricket if you magically became younger again?
(viii) What would you have been if not a cricketer?
(ix) What are your retirement plans?
(x) What advice/message would you like to give the beginners in this game and to your fans?
Thank you so much for gracing our school and spending valuable time with us. We wish you all the best for your future endeavours.
16. Write a short paragraph describing the life and work of Mary Kom. Take help of the points given below. You can take help of the factfile that you have prepared earlier (Activity 5).
(a) Early life
(b) Training
(c) Achievements
(d) Future Plans
Ans: The legend, Mary Kom was born in Manipur. She came from a poor family where her parents were tenant farmers. She grew up in humble surroundings. She did whatever she could to help her parents apart from going to school and learning athletics. She got her inspiration from Dingko Singh who won a gold medal in the Bangkok Asian games and then there was no looking back. She trained to become a boxer though the odds were against her, she being a girl. She won the Manipur state women’s championship and the regional championship in West Bengal in 2000. In 2001 she became internationally famous winning the silver medal at the tender age of 18 years. Her coach Charles Atkinson helped her prepare for the Olympics. She is the only boxer to win a medal in every one of the six world championships. She plans to coach the Indian women in boxing in the future.
17. ‘What men can do, women can do better.’ Divide your class in 2 groups. Let one group offer points ‘For the topic’ and the other, ‘Against the topic.’ Note down the points in your notebooks and expand the points in two separate write- ups, as views and counterviews. Suggest suitable titles for each.
Ans:
For the Topic:
Women Rock in Everything!
Embracing equality, the idea that “What men can do, women can do better” promotes a vision of shared capabilities. This perspective advocates for equal opportunities, asserting that both genders possess innate strengths. It underscores the importance of diverse viewpoints, with women contributing unique perspectives and approaches to problem-solving. Empowering women to excel not only enhances individual potential but also benefits society as a whole. Collaboration between genders harnesses collective strength, breaking free from traditional stereotypes and fostering an inclusive environment. The statement embodies a call for recognizing and appreciating the capabilities of women across various fields.
Against the Topic:
We All Have Superpowers: No Need to Compare!
While advocating for equality is crucial, the statement “What men can do, women can do better” raises concerns. Generalizations risk oversimplifying the nuanced strengths and weaknesses inherent in individuals. Meritocracy should prevail, ensuring opportunities are based on skills rather than gender. Acknowledging skill variations, not all women may outperform men in every domain. Promoting unity between genders through collaboration rather than competition should be the focus. Additionally, caution is needed to prevent unintended consequences, such as perpetuating gender-based rivalry. Emphasizing shared goals and fostering an environment of collaboration is essential for collective success beyond gender comparisons.
18. Two famous proverbs – ‘Actions speak louder than words’ and ‘Fortune favours the brave’ are best suited to the personality of Mary Kom. Form two groups in the class. Each group should write a paragraph on one proverb with reference to the life and achievements of Mary Kom.
Ans: Students should do this on their own.