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 December, 2006
Written by
anna
December 28, 2006
Getting to Manipur was a struggle, and the tough times didn’t come to an end when we arrived there. Luckily, we were greeted at the airport by our guardian angels, Victoria and Basant, who ran hither and thither to process our special permits. We had never even met them before, but they were good friends of Dr. Zimik (who owned the guesthouse we stayed at in Delhi) and he asked them to look out for us.
There is no way we can ever repay them for their hospitality; they pulled out all the stops and ensured that we were safe and comfortable. They settled everything with the local government (they told us there was a whole team of people lobbying to get us into the state), picked us up from the airport, took us to lunch at the only vegetarian restaurant in Imphal (they heard through the grapevine that I was ’strict veg’ and Manipur is a meat-lovin’ place. They eat ‘anything that crawls’) and found us a place to stay. We were so grateful.
While we were there, people kept warning us about the civil unrest around the state: kidnapping foreigners, bombing, strikes, etc. There are at least a dozen extremist groups which are active in Manipur, with different demands. We were told not to walk alone on the streets, and not to leave the hotel after dark (5 p.m.). Ameesha could blend in more easily, so if we needed something, she would go out. (I would always tip her of course.)
As for the filming, we got quite a shock when we called Mary Kom and found out she was in another state (!). Luckily, she came home two days later and we tried to make up for the lost time.
We interviewed her in her home in the Games Village, which was built when the Indian National Games were held in Imphal a couple of years ago. The government assigns these houses to government workers and exceptional athletes, like Mary and fellow world champion boxer Sarita Devi.
We attended a ‘Felicitous Function’ with Mary Kom, hosted by the Kom Tribe in her honour while we were in Manipur. She is pictured below with the white blouse and ribbon. Those kids are wearing traditionnal Kom attire.
With only a handful of tourists in Manipur, we became walking-talking spectacles wherever we went. People were really curious to find out who we were, what channel we were from, and what we were doing. As was the case in Delhi, crowds gathered whenever I filmed anything. Sometimes I had to compete to view the LCD screen on the camera. 
The first lodge we stayed at in Imphal was very clean and comfortable. There were a couple of drawbacks though. In the bathroom, there was a waist-high tap, but no sink beneath it. So we’d brush our teeth and spit on the floor. To make up for it, we had candle-lit dinners every day (that was mainly because there was no electricity, not because we are hopeless romantics). (We are, though). Indie filmmaking at its finest.
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Category : Uncategorized
Written by
anna
December 23, 2006
First of all, we want to say thank you to everyone who has been following the blog from near and far and encouraging us throughout this process. This shoot has been very challenging for both of us so we really appreciated your comments and emails. Merci!
I’m back in Montreal and Ameesha is with her family in Gujarat (western state bordering Pakistan). Now that the bulk of the shooting is completed, we’re hoping to write about a few topics that we never got around to due to our somewhat hectic schedule.
So keep reading for more updates, and you’ll hear all about Manipur and MC Mary Kom. For now, here are some overdue photos from our last week in Delhi.
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The Ministry of Home Affairs: Ameesha and a banana camping out at the M.H.A. in New Delhi. Delhi can get pretty chilly! We weren’t really prepared for the cold weather. I only brought two sweaters and had to wear them on alternating days, and sometimes both at the same time.
Special soup is twice the price: We’re not sure if it’s really worth it. We never got around to trying it out. Ameesha spotted this gem right next to the Wah! Momo stand.
The Bread for All Ages: We bought this Energy Plus brown bread a few times because as the package says, it is ‘best for senior persons who are strive to control sugar and young generation who aspire to be slim.’
Peculiar sight at New Delhi Rail Station: Don’t really know what to make of the different options available.
Job posting: in Ber Serai market (pronounced ‘Beer’).
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Category : Uncategorized
Against all odds, we made it to Manipur and back.
Sorry for not writing from the mythical north-east, but finding time to blog was impossible. There is so much to tell, but this internet café in Delhi is gouging me so I can´t write much.
I will just say one thing: when we finally got to Manipur, we called Mary Kom, only to find out she was no longer in the state!
I´ll let you know what happened in a few days. Now, I have three planes to catch.
Shout out to Albert, postmaster in training and best roommate Delhi has to offer.
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Our flight leaves at 5:30 a.m. tomorrow so we’ve packed up our belongings. We have been working furiously to ensure that our forms will be processed today and we’ve been getting a lot of help from friends in Delhi like Col. Singh and Mr. and Mrs. Zimik, who run the guesthouse.
But we don’t have an answer yet, and it is out of our control so we are getting on with our day. Our roomate Albert, from Nagaland (also in the north-east of India) will be ‘emceeing’ the Christian Fellowship tonight at the hostel nearby so we are going to cheer him on. Hopefully the next post will be written from Imphal, Manipur!
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Category : Uncategorized
Written by
anna
December 12, 2006
The Ministry of Home Affairs is trying to break our spirits. After eight trips to their office in Delhi, we are no closer to going to Manipur - we´re missing the John Hancock of one Dr. Mitra, the M.H.A. commissioner who decides who can go to the north east. We thought that this final step was more of a formality, but we´re learning the hard way.
Yesterday, we packed a picnic of fruit and bread and spent the day at the M.H.A. We arrived an hour and a half before the office opened. The mass of people assembled in front of the building was a jumbled clump. We staked out a spot near the front. Our place was threatened many times by meanderers who crept closer to the gate. Using appropriate re-positioning we maintained a strong defense and claimed token numbers four and five in the lineup. The last time we were here, we ended up being 13th and 14th so this was a significant improvement.
Since it was our second daylong pilgrimage to the M.H.A., we were like the grade six kids who ruled the school. We knew which seats were most comfortable and caught up with the pack of beige dogs who roamed the compound. We nibbled on cashew cookies and met some laparoscopic surgeons from Pakistan. They bought us coffee!
(It might be relevant to mention that Ameesha has stopped paying me in bananas. In fact, I am tired of them. The currency of choice is now the momo, the Tibetan dumpling. And since we are in the red financially on this project, free coffee is a major morale boost.)
All this to say: Dr. Mitra, from the M.H.A., is not our bestest friend. Today, we tracked him down in his office and pleaded with him to process our papers. He told us outright that he would deny our application and asked us to return on Friday. We have been told that the Indian government is reluctant to let foreigners into the north-east because they want to limit tourism to those areas. There haven’t been many problems with the insurgents in Manipur recently, so this is not currently a factor in the decision.
But we have not lost all hope. We have a few friends on the inside who have agreed to speak on our behalf and will attempt to resolve the situation. Our flight to Manipur is Thursday morning so we´re hoping for a quick fix!
I was trying to think of a feasible solution to this problem: something that Ameesha and I could do on our own. Waterworks often do the trick, maybe I could burst into tears the next time we see Dr. Mitra and make things really awkward. Hmm, we´ll try anything at this point.
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Category : Uncategorized
Written by
anna
December 10, 2006
The family which runs our guesthouse (they’re from Manipur) also operates a hostel nearby, which is full of students from the north east of India (Manipur, Nagaland, and other states). There are quite a few Christians from that area, and our roomate Albert invited us to an ‘Advent Christmas’ party last week at the hostel.
Below is a photo of Ameesha having some dessert. (They picked names out of a hat and you had to feed cake to one another. I’m not going to be able to do it justice in this description, but it was quite humourous. People got competitive and started cutting really big pieces for other people to eat… This isn’t a Manipuri tradition, I asked)
Left to right, Albert, Anna, Kheka
Ameesha reading The Times of India. Just cause. (note the sisterhood of the travelling Adidas sweater)
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Category : Uncategorized
Written by
anna
December 10, 2006
Ameesha and I have been having a ball living in Ber Serai, the Jawaharlal Nehru University ghetto. We dine in the main square with all the JNU cronies, standing around chest high metal tables and eating with our hands. We peruse their used bookstores, which are full of computer science and engineering texts. We order our morning coffee or chai from Kerala Café, and it comes in a little plastic bag with two cups.
So far, our number one hangout is in front of the Wah! Momo stall, where we satisfy our twice daily cravings for steamed Tibetan dumplings. We could fit right in Ber Serai, except for the fact that we are the only women in sight (plus there are no other foreigners for miles).
Eating a vegetarian thali at Kerala Café… the portions are huge! The whole meal costs around $0.50.
I´m happy to announce that we have received the go-ahead from the state of Manipur to visit the capital, Imphal. We still need the Ministry of Home Affairs in Delhi to rubber stamp our application, but we have been assured that it will be a simple process (we are prepared for a grueling battle nonetheless). In the past few days, we have been re-arranging our travel bookings with great difficulty because we are determined to spend time with Mary Kom on her home turf. Now everything is (almost) set.
We´re spending a week in Imphal, and then I´m heading home December 21. Ameesha is staying in India until the end of January with her family in Gujarat. For the next few days, we will be wrapping our Delhi shoot.
As a matter of fact, we will be producing our first music video in the coming days for some up-and-coming musicians. I’m not going to spoil the surprise now, I’ll let the suspense build for a few days…
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Well, we’re in Delhi for at least ten more days in a state of limbo. But we’re having fun at the same time and meeting lots of people and making the most of it. We like Delhi!
(Credit where credit’s due: most of these photos were taken by Ameesha)
Below, Ameesha’s cousin Ishani buys some stuffed parathas off the street for our breakie (on the way to Agra to see the Taj Mahal). Agra is about 200 km from Delhi, and the bus trip takes five hours… Stuffed parathas are flat breads filled with curried potato. delicioso.
The paratha walla preparing our food. (walla just means ‘man.’ there is the fruit walla, laundry walla, rickshaw walla etc.)
Ameesha and Ishani at Akbar’s Tomb in Agra. Akbar had 5000 wives… ooh la la. Ameesha dressed ‘Indian’ for the day to get into the monuments at Indian rates. To give you an idea, I paid almost $20 for my ticket to the Taj Mahal, while Ameesha and Ishani paid 50 cents.
Schoolkids touring the Taj. Winter hats become part of the uniform in some areas, during the ‘winter season.’ On this day, it was smokin’ hot, nearing 30 degrees C.
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Category : Blogroll
Written by
anna
December 6, 2006
Our street in Gurgaon during one of the nightly power outages (it’s called loadshedding).
Lekha wins gold for India at the 4th World Women’s Boxing Championship. It was one of four gold medals for the Indian national team. Photo by ameesha
Filming during the competition. (Of all the photographers covering the event, I was the only woman and the only non-Indian. So I had to deal with unwanted attention… and had to fight for a good spot.) This photo is also the handiwork of Ms. Joshi.
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Category : Uncategorized
Written by
anna
December 4, 2006
Before coming to India, Ameesha warned me that it would be an exercise in not feeling guilty. Having people serve you cookies and tea, wash your dishes, and sweep the floor is foreign to everything I´ve grown up with in North America. When I went to work out at a gym, there was a sign at the door asking members not to bring their servants with them. In the locker room, a woman stood waiting to take each article of clothing for you as you undressed. I don´t think I can get used to this.
On our first night in one guesthouse, I was shocked to see that the teenage boy who worked there slept on the carpet outside our door. He has had a job since he was five years old. Another boy who was a cook slept on the kitchen floor. The only personal space that they have is a small hut on the roof of the building. The owner of the guesthouse implored us not to tip them, “They are so spoiled.”
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