Hyderabad: At 19, Manju Rani is now toast of Rithal, a village of Haryana's Rohtak district. In the recently concluded AIBA Women's World Boxing Championships she became India's lone silver medallist and proved herself as a true heir to boxing legend Mary Kom, contesting in the 48kg category.
Rani earned fame overcoming all odds in her life. Supported by a single mother and dedicated mentor, Saheb Singh Narwal, a hockey and kabaddi player, she made it big in Ulan-Ude, Russia.
It is Narwal who has been the reason behind Rani's roller-coaster ride into the world of boxing. Having lost her father, a BSF jawan, to liver cancer in 2010, Rani' journey was all about not giving up to the hardships.
In her formative years, Narwal showed full faith in the diminutive girl when she was struggling to gain confidence.
The toughest phase
“Nothing was working out for me — I was not in the national camp and was losing even in district meets. I was not getting any chance in Haryana but uncle (Narwal) motivated me to continue. He did not allow me to quit. He knew I could do well,” Rani was quoted as saying by media.
However, boxing was not her first choice as a sport. She played kabaddi before switching to boxing in 2013 to make a career in an individual sport.
Battling social taboo
“Initially, after papa [her father] died, people used to tell my mother ‘ladki ko kahan boxing mein dal rahe ho, chot lagi to shadi kaun karega?’ (Why are you sending her for boxing? Who will marry her if she gets hurt?’) Before his death also, I used to run for fitness but he was not in favour of it. When he got worse, I stopped all sports. But after his death, my mother decided she won’t stop me from my dreams,” Rani got emotional.
“If she had won, everyone would have been happier. But this is also good, she now has a path. In 2012, I trusted Narwal and he did everything,” Ishwanti Devi, mother of Rani said.
How did the journey begin?
Her journey begun when the Haryana government granted a SPAT (Sports and Physical Aptitude Test) scholarship programme to her. 22 out of 45 trainees of Narwal grabbed the scholarship.
As per the SPAT norms, the government provided students with formal coaching, and in the case of Rithal village, it was Sube Singh Beniwal, a boxing instructor who came to boast boxing talents in Rohtak.
“I went to Bhiwani, where there are a lot of boxing academies, and also watched boxing videos. You have to trick the opponent into thinking you are going to punch somewhere but instead you have to hit somewhere else. When they are punching, you have to dodge that,” Narwal said.
This simple look into a complex sport has argued well for Rani. Her biggest weapon is supposed to be deception and side-stepping. She is very clever and agile in the ring. Her uncanny ability to move sideways when under attack and attempt sudden punches from a different angle demonstrated her use of mind while in the ring.
The giant leap
After a heartbreaking loss in the 2017 Rohtak District Championships, Narwal was desperate to find out a coach for Rani. Then he came in touch with youth national team coach Amanpreet Kaur, who advised them to move to Punjab instead.
That precious advice turned Rani into a boxer that she is today. She won gold at the 2019 National Championships and went on to clinch silver at Strandja Memorial Boxing Tournament in Sofia, a bronze at Thailand Open and India Open in a single season.
Now, it will not be an exaggeration to say that Manju is on right track to fill the shoes of Mary in the 48kg category boxing.
