Natioanl boxer MC Mary Kom and National Papers' eyes wide shut

India’s M C Mary Kom re-asserted her status as the world’s most successful woman boxer clinching an unprecedented fourth successive gold medal but India failed to retain the team crown at the fifth AIBA World Championships in China.

The 25-year-old out-punched Romania’s Steluta Duta 7-1 to grab India’s only gold medal at the event.

The Manipuri boxer remained away from the ring for two years to take care of her twin babies after completing a hat-trick of World Championship golds in New Delhi.

The pint-sized pugilist returned to don the gloves this year at the Asian Championships, in September, where she failed to retain her gold, settling for a silver medal.

She claimed the National title earlier this month before leaving for the World Championship.

Inspite of her worthy recognition achievements, the national papers turn their eyes away from her. Just after the anouncement of her 4th World Title, I was searching for the announcements from all national paper online. The next day I keep on searching for Mary Kom on almost 15 Natioanl papers, non of them give a front page as they usually gave to other sports persons.

World Chess Champion Viswanathan, Abhinav Bindra's Olympic Gold, Vishy Anand's 3rd World title, Twin wins in Oz: Perth & CB series, Chennai chase of 387 vs England, India qualifies for Asia Cup football, Saina becomes World Jr Champ, Vijender & Sushil's Olympic Bronze, Jeev wins Singapore Open golf, Sachin breaks Lara's record and etc. etc. earned all the front pages of our national papers. But, when MC Mary Kom won India's 4th World Champion Boxing title, no news paper dare to spare a front page.

Do we call this a biasless papers, Is MC Mary Kom's Medal not an Indian fame??

Now, Lets compare the online coverages of sport persons by the national papers:

01. www.wban.org/biog/marykom.htm
02. www.1888pressrelease.com/indian-boxing-champion-mary-kom-enters-limca-book-of-records-pr-5e35h16u1s.html
03. www.telegraphindia.com/1040926/asp/look/story_3799166.asp
04. www.nenanews.com/ANE%20Nov%201-15,05/editorialC.htm
05. www.rediff.com/sports/2008/nov/28mary-kom-in-world-finals.htm
06. www.monstersandcritics.com/sport/boxing/article_1225178.php/Mary_Kom_four_other_Indians_in_world_boxing_finals
07. www.kanglaonline.com/index.php?template=kshow&kid=595
08. www.newkerala.com/topstory-fullnews-56763.html
09. sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Other_Sports/Boxing/Mary_Kom_hurt_at_being_ignored_twice.../3779961.cms
10. http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Mary-Kom-gets-fourth-consecutive-World-Cship-gold/392201/
11. www.sinlung.com/sports/mary-kom-deserves-khel-ratna-award-sports-minister.html

Where are the national papers??????????????/

----------------

I AM COMPLETELY IGNORED MARY KOM

Press Trust of India

A four-time world champion, MC Mary Kom has never been considered worthy for Khel Ratna and disturbed by the apathy, the Manipuri - arguably world's most successful woman boxer - is asking what more she needs to do to get the country's highest sporting honour.

"I have won the World Championship four times on the trot. (Indian cricket team captain Mahendra Singh) Dhoni gets a Khel Ratna for winning just one World Cup, I fail to understand why am I being ignored then. How can anybody expect an athlete to stay motivated if he or she is ignored like that?" Mary Kom said in an interview on Monday.

The pin weight pugilist, who clinched a fourth world title in the fifth edition of the event in Ningbo City, China, managed the feat despite being away from the ring for two years after becoming a mother.

Hurt at being ignored twice for the award, Mary Kom says even more disturbing than that is the sheer ignorance about the sport in which she competes.

"Last year, when my name was recommended by the federation, I had been shortlisted along with Dhoni but (Arjuna awards selection committee chairman) Milkha Singh struck off my name saying that he did not know which sport I competed in. That hurt me terribly," she revealed.

"I want to ask him today, how many more titles do I have to win for him and for the country to believe that I deserve the honour?" she asked.

"Don't give me the award if you think I am not worthy but please don't insult me with statements like that. It angers me. People should be encouraging but they are not and I have accepted it as part of life," she said.

The Indian Boxing Federation says it would push for her case yet again next year and is confident of becoming third time lucky.

"We will once again recommend her. Evey time, she has been sidelined but this time she should get the honour. She is special and her achievements are unparalleled," IBF General secretary Col PKM Raja said.

Mary Kom, meanwhile, is busy chalking out her plans for future and is keeping her fingers crossed for women's boxing inclusion in the 2010 Asian Games and Commonwealth Games.

"I am looking forward to training hard now and hope that women's boxing is included in the 2010 Asian and Commonwealth Games so that I can add to the medals that I have won. My ultimate dream is to represent the country in the Olympic Games and hopefully that dream would realise in London 2012," she said.

Attending camps and tournaments means staying away from her young family but Mary Kom says she can bank on her husband's support to make sure that her twin boys are not neglected.

"It feels terrible to leave the kids behind but my husband has made sure that I don't have to worry about my boys. They are well taken care of when I am not around. We have planned everything and it does not disturb my family life," she said.

The Manipuri said despite the hurdles she is determined to continue and refused to set a date for her retirement. "I will continue till the time I am motivated," she signed off.

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Chin, Mizo, Zomi or Kuki- Which is the most politically acceptable identity for the Zo?

The first and foremost thing to do is, properly digest the terms of the nomenclatures which were given to the Zo people by several great scholars of the world. Only then, we would be clear which one is acceptable. I am not trying to convince this or that is the most acceptable. It totally depends on you. Here are the terms:

ZOMI / MIZO

The term 'Zomi' meaning, Zo+mi 'Zo People' is derived from the generic name 'Zo', the progenitor of the Zomis. Mizo is the reverse of Zomi. Pu T. Gougin quoted "it should be Zomi not Mizo, because when God created the universe. He starts with the earth and only then human being. Therefore, Zo should come first and mi should follow suit"

CHIN

As already mentioned, in Burma the Zomi are known as Chin. It has since become a matter of great controversy how this terminology originated. In this respect many scholars advanced different theories. B. S. Carey and H. N. Tuck asserted it to be a Burmese corruption of the Chins word “Jin” or “Jen” which means man. Prof. F. K. Lehman was of the view that the term might be from the Burmese word ‘Khyan” which means ‘basket’, saying,

“The term ‘Chin’ is imprecise. It is a Burmese word (khyan), not a Chin Word. It is homologous with the contemporary Burmese word meaning basket”.

Implied thus is that the basket carrying inhabitants of the Chin Hills bordering the plain Burmans are Chin.

KUKI

Probably the first recorded used of the name “Kuki” appeared in the History of Tripura as early as 1512 AD . During the reign of Tripura Raja Dhanya Manikya (around 1490 AD), it was pointed out that, wild race called Kukees live Thannangchi Forest of Tripura. Yet the origin of the word itself is most obscure. The colonial historians divided the Zomi under two names, i.e. the “Kuki” and the “Lushai”. This was clearly demonstrated in the writing of Rawlins. In his paper published in the Asiatic Research Vol. II, p.12 he called the people “Cucis” or “Mountaineers from Tipra” by adopting the name used by the Bengali and Assamese when referring to the Zomi of Chittagong Hill Trace and Tripura Hills. Colonel John Shakespeare clubbed them together and called them “the Lushai-Kuki Clans”.

After reading all this findings, I guess you are clear enough to decide which of the following Nomenclature is politically acceptable?

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