Women Boxers In India: With This Ring
<cite>With This Ring</cite> is an independent documentary film by Ameesha Joshi and Anna Sarkissian. Since 2006, they’ve been tracking the Indian Women’s National Boxing Team, who are some of the best boxers in the world.
Archive of November, 2006
Written by
anna
November 30, 2006
Ameesha and I are in high spirits despite the fact that the film is going down the tube. I’m only kidding, it’s still circling the drain.
We have been planning our trip east to visit Mary Kom for a couple of weeks. There is unrest in Manipur between insurgents who are fighting for independence and the government, so it’s a restricted area. We spoke to army colonels, airport officials and local people who assured us there would be no problem with us going there. The Manipur government tells a different story. So at the eleventh hour, we have embarked on an urgent mission to get a permit to visit the state. The process normally takes one month, and there is a high rate of refusal.
We spent a day at the visa office getting directed to different departments and ended up at Manipur House in Delhi. Despite the fact that it took four hours for us to fill out one application form, it was a very pleasant bureaucratic experience. We have had to pay a man in Imphal, Manipur, to ‘run’ with our application. We don’t really understand what that means. Ameesha says it amounts to bribery, but I’m playing dumb.
We’re nervous because we need a character for the film and Mary Kom is the quintessential Indian boxer, with three world titles under her belt. Because of the restricted access to the Indian boxers, we weren’t able to conduct many interviews leading up to the competition. Unfortunately, they dispersed very quickly after the competition and returned to their hometowns.
In a few days time, we will know whether we will be granted access to Imphal. For now, it’s a waiting game.
We’ve made the shift from Gurgaon to New Delhi, and we’re seeing a whole new side of India. We have left the chaotic, dusty streets of the suburbs and have settled in a quiet enclave in Greater Kailesh. There are definitely a few things we miss about staying with the Kolhis, namely delicious meals and wonderful hospitality. I feel lucky to have been able to stay with a family for a couple of weeks in order to get the true Indian experience.
We have been exploring the shops and restaurants in the market at the end of the block. No matter where you live, there’s always a cluster of stores within a stone’s throw. Last night we dined at an upscale Indian resto. The food was superb and the total was a whopping $6 each. We’re going back.
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Category : Uncategorized
Written by
anna
November 24, 2006
Indian boxer Mary Kom celebrates her latest victory at Talkatora Indoor Stadium in New Delhi. She is a three time world champion in the 46 kg straw weight category. Many thanks to Swedish photographer Aksel Sundström for the photo below.
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Category : Uncategorized
Written by
anna
November 23, 2006
Today, India took home eight (8!) medals in 13 categories at the 4th World Women’s Boxing Championship! The matches were exciting, but we had an inkling that India was going to win. They claimed an impressive four Golds, in addition to the Best Overall Team award. The press was in a frenzy throughout the finals, lunging at the champions as they came out of the ring. They gave new meaning to the terms “media circus.”
I was jockeying for position at the side of the boxing ring, planting two feet shoulder width apart and refusing to budge for any weasely photographer who tried to sneak in. I was surprised by the photo and film crews´ etiquette; they don´t take much care to avoid jostling you or getting in your frame while you´re shooting. I uttered a few choice words to those who swung elbows and camera bags and ruined my shots.
Poor Ameesha, I had her running back and forth to the camera bag all day, fetching the tripod, new tapes, batteries, microphones.
We had such a tough time finding a quiet place to conduct interviews with the boxers during the competition. Many of them weren´t thrilled about having the press come to their hotel rooms so we scoured the venue for a good spot. Too much echo, a loud fan, terrible lighting… We had no favourable options. We ended up talking to a few athletes outside, including Klara Svensson, the Swedish boxer who took Silver in the 60 kg and Katie Taylor of Ireland, who was a truly impressive fighter (and who incidentally won Gold in her weight category). We´re not very optimistic about the sound quality but we didn´t have any choice.
Now that the competition is over, we are planning our next move. We will be doing pickup shots of scenes around Delhi. We may go down to Agra to shoot the Taj Mahal.
We also have some great news: on November 29 we will fly to Imphal, Manipur, to visit the three time world champion, Mary Kom. Her home state is quite far east, bordering Burma, and it´s supposed to be the “Switzerland of India.” We are really looking forward to the experience and getting to know Mary Kom a little better. I´ll try to post some pictures from the competition soon.
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Category : Uncategorized
Written by
anna
November 22, 2006
We´ve been quite busy the last few days with the competition underway at Talkatora Indoor Stadium in New Delhi. There are about 170 athletes from over 30 countries in attendance. It´s been exciting, but also pretty tiring. Keep reading to hear all about it in the next day or so. In the meantime, here´s a little blurb about our daily commute.
I would be terrified to drive in Delhi. Although no one drives very quickly, they bob and weave constantly. Most cars fold in their side mirrors permanently so they can squeeze into impossible nooks and crannies in traffic jams. Bicycles and motorcycles are plentiful. Honking is the norm. We´ve been hiring a taxi most days to travel into Delhi, and believe me, we´ve had our fair share of drivers…
One of them honked as a prelude to any death-defying maneuver; somehow the beep absolved him of all responsibility. He laid on the horn when going the wrong way around a roundabout, zipping through a red light, or doing a u-turn on a busy thoroughfare when dozens of cars were speeding in our direction. I used to grimace and hold on tight, but I´m not fazed by it anymore.
Ameesha and I have drawn up a list of the pros and cons of a few of our most memorable drivers so far.
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The Stallmaster. Good: Patient and polite. Bad: Stalled repeatedly. Reluctant use of hazard lights when the car broke down in the middle of rush hour traffic.
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Wild Child. Good: Made us feel young again. Bad: Loud music, dyed hair, fast times. He honked more than he didn´t honk.
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Pink Panther. Good: Wore a pink shirt. Easy to spot in a crowd. Bad: The backseat was soaking wet.
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Category : Uncategorized
Written by
anna
November 20, 2006
On the eve of the opening of the 4th World Women’s Boxing Championship, we attended a press conference at the Delhi YMCA. Below, is a photo of Ameesha, uh, sitting in a chair at the press conference. Sitting quite nicely too.
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Category : Uncategorized
Written by
anna
November 20, 2006
Nov. 17, 2006
Day one of shooting was tougher than expected. We showed up at Nehru Stadium, where the Indian National Women’s Boxing Team is training for the competition. We attended one grueling workout and filmed the whole thing. It went fairly well.
We met with the head coach the following day to discuss our plan. He told us flat out: “Don’t come back. You’re a distraction to the team.” We couldn’t believe our ears.
Ameesha has been planning this film for ages and has been in telephone and email contact with the Indian Amateur Boxing Federation, the body that regulates boxing in this country. They were in full support of the project, knew the breadth of what she wanted to do, and encouraged her to come to Delhi. Now that we’re on the ground, we’re getting a completely different picture of the situation.
It seems that the IABF gave Ameesha the go-ahead, but didn’t relay the information to the team. The coach explained that having a film crew around was a major disturbance during this crucial training period. We understood, and didn’t want to hurt the team’s chances of performing well. It was frustrating to get such mixed messages. The coach said we could film one more training session. Our hearts sank.
We explained that we had traveled thousands of miles just to film these boxers in the lead up to the world championship. He was unconvinced. “What are we getting out of this documentary?” he asked. We explained that the film would be submitted to film festivals worldwide, and possibly aired on television, and that it would bring much-needed publicity to these athletes. It wasn’t enough to sway him, and he said, “If I give you access to the team, you must give us something.”
The budget for this film is basically zero, Ameesha has had to beg, borrow and steal in order to get us here. In fact, she is paying me in bananas. We didn’t know what to do.
Basically, we had to come up with 37 t-shirts to give to the boxers and coaches if we wanted to make the film. In addition, we could not interview any of the boxers who were competing in the championship. But we were welcome to travel around the country to boxers’ respective hometowns after November 24 if we wanted to hear their stories.
It was an exasperating few days. Luckily, that was the worst of it and things improved slightly in the next few days. After delivering the t-shirts, we were able to interview four of the boxers for 10 minutes each. We still have a long way to go.
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Category : Uncategorized
Written by
ameesha
November 16, 2006
We’ve been keeping busy! Here are some recent pics…
Our equipment. ALL of our equipment. The bananas and water are essential elements of our arsenal.
A press conference at the India Habitat Centre, during which the Indian national team announced their final lineup for the competition…
Two pairs of gloves sitting pretty by the boxing ring at Nehru Stadium.
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Category : Uncategorized
Written by
anna
November 13, 2006
Nov. 13, 2006
Hey, Anna here again, pretending to be Ameesha. These are some pictures taken yesterday in Delhi at Humayun’s Tomb, which is a significant example of Mughal architecture. The photos aren’t of the best quality, but they do give you an idea.
Bin for biodegradables…
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Category : Uncategorized
Written by
anna
November 11, 2006
Delhi. Whew! I arrived bright-eyed and bushy tailed despite the 15-hour flight from Chicago. While waiting in line for customs, I couldn´t help but notice the email address for the Indian department of immigration was ‘@hotmail.com.’ Ameesha´s father was on the same flight so that made the voyage a little more interesting. Ms. Joshi herself met us at the airport and started our trek through India´s hustle and bustle.
I´m excited about this opportunity to film a documentary in India. It just landed in my lap and I could not refuse the offer. I´ve worked with Ameesha before and we´ve been friends since we met at Concordia University´s school of cinema in Montreal.
Ameesha may have mentioned this already, but we´re staying in the city of Gurgaon, about an hour from the center of Delhi. I´ve had my first few tastes of authentic Indian cuisine at the Kohli´s home, and I´m in heaven.
Everything is within walking distance of our place. Around the corner, there is a plethora of shops and fruits stalls, pharmacies and towering super-malls. The Kohli´s say that so much development has come to Gurgaon in the past five to ten years. There are currently five enormous glass shopping malls, with seven more under construction on the same strip of road. Everything you need is within reach, so long as you don´t mind navigating the dusty, hectic streets of the city.
Today, we took a taxi to Delhi and I met the boxers for the first time. It took about an hour, and we nearly died several times. Once at Nehru stadium, a stream of boxers filed passed us into a narrow, dimly lit, garage-like training hall. They were all quite focused on their workout session and didn´t pay us much attention. However the head coach gave us a hard time about being a distraction and shared a few choice words. I´ll write more about it in the next post, but let´s just say we didn´t receive the warmest reception.
The mosquitoes, on the other hand, were quite welcoming. They have warmly embraced my shins and ankles and by now I feel like part of the family. I´ve taken to wearing thick-knitted socks and long pants to avoid their tomfoolery. Hopefully, my countermeasures will prove effective and I´ll be itchless in a few days.
Ameesha is next to me as I write these words, engrossed in a brochure about the wind sock (aka foam cover) she bought for the microphone. She says it is riveting material, and I´m willing to take her word for it.
Signing off for now,
Anna.
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Category : Blogroll
Written by
ameesha
November 6, 2006
Nov. 6, 2006
I stopped by Nehru Stadium in central Delhi today for the first time. The women’s boxing team is training there in the days leading up to the International Women’s Boxing Championship. Their training sessions get more intensive as the competition nears. Sweat is flying!
More news coming soon, including info about my first meeting with the team.
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Category : Uncategorized
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