Tamil Nadu ABA president Wilfred Davidar

The association's president, Wilfred Davidar, says that he is not surprised by its success.

"Out here we have had a basic attitude as far as women are concerned towards martial arts.

"They don't mind learning the art of self-defence and the culture also accepts that.

"So when we did begin this there were no inhibitions about coming in for boxing.

"We had a tremendous amount of response and we even had to hold selections for the women boxers to make sure that only the best fought for the state."

The women who have made it to the state team undergo a gruelling daily schedule training for four hours in the gym every day.

Agilandeeswari, 22, combines this with bringing up two young children. She says the support of her husband and parents is invaluable but not everyone welcomed her fighting.

"When I started off boxing most of my friends were worried that I would get injured.

"But now that I have been fighting for a while without getting hurt, many women in my neighbourhood are now becoming interested in boxing".

The safety rules for amateur boxing, male and female, are much stricter than those for professional fighters.

The women who boxed in the recent Indian national championships wore protective equipment.

Head guards, gum shields and chest protectors are all compulsory, but doctors believe there are still considerable medical risks.

Dr Prithika Chary: "Repeated head injuries causes punch drunk syndrome"

"Protection minimises the chances of injury but it doesn't remove it", says Dr Prithika Chary, consultant neurologist and neurosurgeon at the Apollo Hospital Group in Madras.

"Repeated head injuries causes punch-drunk syndrome, which leads to Parkinson's disease. The other thing is repeated concussions to the brain.

"After a first concussion a second concussion can sometimes be fatal. I've already got a male boxer under my care who has Parkinson's.

"It's sad that people who are physically fit until they are 30 or 40 become empty shells and very disabled, sick people early in life."

Whatever the dangers India's young female boxers are unlikely to be put off.

As well as being a sport they love, boxing may also bring them long-term financial stability.

The best boxers could benefit from the "sports quota", an Indian government scheme that allocates public-sector jobs to outstanding athletes.

Eswari, is the current Indian light welter weight champion and was also judged the best overall boxer at the nationals.

Olympic recognition

She comes from a poor background but hopes that her talent may get her a job with the police or the army.

Not many Indian government departments have come forward to offer women boxers employment.

But the hope is that if and when the sport gets Olympic recognition, more will be offered long-term security.

In the meantime India's leading boxers are busy training for international competition.

In April, a team will compete in the Asian Women's Championships in China, and in September India will be represented at the World Championships in Germany.

In just a year female boxing in India has come an awfully long way.