Once upon a time, there was a girl who grew up to be the most successful boxer in India’s history. Her name was Mary Kom. Mary was an energetic child who was naturally drawn towards sports. So she enrolled herself in a sports academy where she discovered her love of boxing, but her trainers thought she was too small. Still, Mary sparred until she improved her technique, showing up early and staying late to train. She was terrified her parents would stop her, but they eventually grew to be her biggest supporters. With her nation and family’s support, Mary boxed her way to the Olympic Games and inspired generations to come. [This episode originally aired March 2019.]

About the Narrator:

Poorna Jagannathan is an award-winning actress and producer. Critically acclaimed for her performance on HBO's "The Night Of," Jagannathan will soon be seen in season 2 of HBO's "Big Little Lies," and on Hulu's two most anticipated shows of 2019: "The Act" and "Ramy." Her past work on HBO's "Room 104" and AMC's Better Call Saul" garnered critical attention and some of her recent film credits include A24's "Share," directed by Pippa Bianco, Peter Berg's “Mile 22,” and Aamir Kahn’s trailblazing Bollywood comedy, “Delhi Belly,” for which she won a Stardust and a L’Oreal Femina award for best supporting actress. Jagannathan is the winner of the 2013 Amnesty International Award for the play “Nirbhaya” by Yael Farber, which she initiated, produced and acted in. The play was called by The Telegraph as “One of the most powerful pieces of theater you’ll ever see."

Credits:

This episode of Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls is produced by Elena Favilli, Joy Fowlkes, and Meg Murnane, with writing by Grace Boyle and narration by Poorna Jagannathan. Jestine Ware edited all scripts. Sound design and original theme music by Elettra Bargiacchi. Mattia Marcelli was the sound mixer.