Photos from our shoot at the Indian Women’s Boxing Team’s National Training Camp in Hisar, Haryana (August 2008).
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As of Aug. 29, 2008, our shoot has officially wrapped in India. We spent most of the month of August in Hisar, Haryana, attending the boxing training camp with the team. After spending so much time with them, we have finally zeroed in on two main characters: three-time world champion Mary Kom and up-and-comer Chhoto Loura.
After a two month break, we’ll be picking up again in Ningbo, China, for the next world championship. We’ll be heading back to India with the team for a few weeks afterwards, in the hopes of finishing the film. We’ve criss-crossed the country several times over the last two years. Below is a little map to give you an idea.
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As always, questions and comments are welcome. Write to us at indianwomenboxers AT gmail DOT com.
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Chhoto Loura sparring with a teammate at the training camp in August 2008.
At the 4th World Women’s Boxing Competition in 2006, Chhoto Loura – a relative newcomer – won a bronze medal. Standing on the podium to receive her medal, she looked less than enthused. As soon as the national anthem ends, she stepped off the podium and yanked off her medal. She walked back to her seat, and settled in to watch the next bout.
“When I win I do not feel anything, when I lose I do not feel anything,” she said later in an interview. “I just play because I love boxing.” Chhoto is from a remote village and her families knows little about her sport; they only know that she plays “a game.” She said she didn’t plan on telling them that she was the third best in the world.
Today, Chhoto, pronounced Cho-ttu, is a serious contender for the gold medal when the team participates in the world championships in China this November. One weekend in August, she invited us to visit her hometown, 30 minutes outside Hisar. We wanted to get to know her better to ascertain whether or not she would be a good character for the film. We’ve had our eye on her for a while. She has a very interesting story, which I’ll tell you about in further detail another time. We brought our camera along to film her in the house she grew up in. We were really looking forward to the day; it was supposed to be a nice, peaceful trip to the countryside.
We hoped in an jeep for the ride to Balsaman.
Chhoto (in red on the right) in her family’s home.
Looking at family photo albums with her brother and neighbours.
Growing up, Chhoto worked in the fields before and after school. In the photo below, Emily gives it a shot.
We had a delicious meal in their home before going for a tour of the town. Haryana is known for their wheat. We thought the chapattis were very good.
This little guy was so shy. He was hanging around with us in his shorts and t-shirt. His mom found out we had a camera. He disappeared and then emerged 20 minutes later with his hair washed and his best shoes, ready for a portrait.
Neighbourhood kids started to gather around the house when they heard about some visitors.
The streets were empty when we arrived. But word travels fast! Soon enough, a crowd formed at the doorway to Chhoto’s home. They told us we were the first foreigners to ever visit Balsaman. Most of the kids had never seen anyone non-Indian before.
Emily was determined to ride a camel in India. Chhoto made it happen.
We visited a park outside a temple. The village came too.
Even though it was hectic at times, we had an incredible day in Balsaman. Believe it or not, most of it was actually peaceful. Chhoto is very relaxed and easygoing. She didn’t seem too fussed by the chaos around us. It actually made her laugh non-stop. We communicate using a mix of Hindi and English words. We also rely heavily on sign language. She’s a really good sport about the whole thing. She’s very comfortable in front of the camera. (She said she liked being filmed, but she might just be saying that to be polite. We’re not entirely sure.) Next time we see her, she’ll be going for gold in China at the 5th World Women’s Boxing Competition starting on Nov. 22, 2008. We’ve booked our flights. We’re off.
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With This Ring 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.
ameeshaAmeesha Joshi is currently enrolled in the MFA program at Concordia University in Montreal. She started filmmaking in 2000 when she lived in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Her very first film was a short fiction called The Red Glove which just so happened to be about a woman boxer. Email Ameesha: ameesha AT withthisringfilm DOT com
annaAnna Sarkissian is an independent filmmaker from Montreal, Quebec. She studied film production at Concordia University's School of Cinema. She has vowed to learn Hindi in the next 30 days, or your money back. Email Anna: anna AT withthisringfilm DOT com