Mary Kom likely to attend Siliguri carnival

SNS, Siliguri, 21 October 2014: If everything goes as planned, people in Siliguri will get an opportunity to see their boxing champion MC Mary Kom, thanks to the Siliguri Carnival, which is slated to be held between 15 and 21 December, and which the Olympic bronze medallist is likely to attend. 

The Siliguri Municipal Corporation is facilitating the event, and a source associated with the event said Mary Kom might be there during the opening ceremony. 

"Mary Kom has played a significant role in popularising an unconventional sport. Many women who had cherished their dreams to make the country proud have been highly inspired by her. As such, we thought about bringing somebody here who could steal the show, while people would have an opportunity to see and meet their icon," the source said. 

Apart from her Olympic bronze medal Mary Kom became the first Indian woman boxer to win gold in the Asian Games. She clinched the medal in the recently-concluded Incheon Games in the flyweight (-51kg) class. 

Organisers said the boxer has been an inspiration to many women and that her visit to the region could be a motivational factor for the fairer sex here. 

"We are trying to rope in some other famous personalities too,” the source added. The carnival is set to be held at different venues in the town, including Baghajatin Park, Dinbandhu Mancha, Surjya Sen Park and Kanchenjungha stadium. 

There will be many other events, including cultural shows, children film festival, photography exhibition and artificial rock climbing. 

Trinamul Congress MP and famous quizmaster Derek O'Brien is scheduled to hold a quiz contest on 20 December, while singer Nachiketa will prepare the theme song for the carnival. Singer Arijit Singh and film makers Gautam Ghose and Anjan Dutta will also be present in the carnival. 

The source said that a website will be created to spread the word about the carnival.