Mary Kom asks women to learn martial arts to fend themselves

"Martial arts should not be taken up only as a sport. I urge all women to take up martial arts so that they can defend themselves to some extent," Mary said.

"If I can box why can't you all? I urge women of this region to take up the sport," she said.

Mary said "I had beaten up a rickshawala sometime ago. When he started using filthy language, I lost my cool," she, said, but did not specify when and where the incident took place.

Mary was speaking at the Darjeeling Tea and Tourism Festival here on Thursday.

Mary