By Chitra Ahanthem
The inclusion of an international Polo tournament as part of the just concluded Sangai Tourism Festival 2012 in Manipur created a buzz amongst lovers of the game in Manipur as well as international players of the game. Four international teams representing Thailand, England, France and Germany took part in the tournament organized by the Manipur Horse Riding and Polo Association under the theme: “Manipur Gave the World, the Game of Polo: Let Us Save Manipuri Polo, the Original Polo Pony”.
Started in 1977, the Manipur Horse Riding and Polo Association is the only private organization that organizes Polo tournaments in the country. The N Hazari Trophy started in 1985 and continues till date. In 1990, the prestigious Governor’s Cup was instituted following the patronage of the then Governor of Manipur KV Krishna Rao. There were two additional additions to the Polo season with the introduction of the 57th Mountain Division Cup in 2009 and the All Manipur United Club Organization Cup (AMUCO) last year.
In its 6th edition this year, the Manipur Polo International tournament held at the Mapal Kangjeibung (also known as Pologround) left the international visitors impressed with the full stands. Nicholas Denvers a former Chair of the renowned Hurlingham Polo Association, England and a well-known Polo enthusiast in the international Polo circuit who played an integral part in spreading the word on the Polo tournament in Manipur had this to say of the crowds: “I have been playing Polo for over 40 years now in most countries across the world and nowhere else have I seen this many number of people turning up to see a Polo match.” He was referring to the droves of people perched on tall buildings and stadium railings trying to catch a glimpse of the matches being played.
According to Denvers, “The Polo world is very small and the moment we let it out that we were looking for 4 places for the England team to play in Manipur where modern Polo started, there were 72 applications!” adding there is immense potential for the game to bring in players from all over the world to Manipur. “That would be beneficial for everyone: for the hospitality sector, for the tourism industry and for the many people who are breeding Manipuri ponies.”
For the Manipur Horse Riding and Polo Association, the Polo tournament is part of an ongoing effort to showcase Manipuri Ponies and to lay to rest the controversy over where Polo originated from. Retd Col M Ranjit Singh an Organizing Secretary points out that out of the 70 Polo playing countries, only 20 recognize Manipur as the origin of modern day Polo with the rest saying it is Persia. The Association is enthused about the research study undertaken by Nanjest Thongbam an Assistant Professor in Geography which is compiling scientific proof that Polo owes its roots in Manipur much before the time than that is attributed to when the game was played in Persia.
But for Denvers, there was no doubt whatsoever that Manipur is the Mecca for Polo players. It was this sense of history that brought players to the Polo tournament in Manipur. Commander D Saha, member of the India A team who has been playing in various Polo tournaments across the country was very appreciative of the Manipuri Pony. Saha added that it did take some time for visiting players to adjust since they were used to playing on thoroughbreds but found the Manipuri Pony to be a fine and stable animal. Rosylyn Sharp, a freelance photographer from Australia specializing in Polo photography said some people did have reservations about Manipur, what kind of reception would the players and visitors get and what of the infrastructure ? But at the end of it all, Sharp was of the opinion that everyone had been treated well and things organized on par with other tournaments. Her compatriot Chris Ashton who has authored books on Polo added that it was a treat to be able to watch cultural shows before every match since they gave an opportunity to have a sense of the culture of Manipur. An exhibition match of the Manipuri traditional Polo with 7 players a side on the concluding day of the Tournament saw some fun on the ground with international players in part traditional garb, much to the delight of a packed crowd.
For quite some time, the Manipur Horse Riding and Polo Association has struggled to keep the game alive. Commander Saha held that while Manipur did give us this game, the other reality is that the game is dying in the country and is surviving only amongst a select circle of people. The game stayed on till there was royal patronage but now, it’s only the army and the navy that is able to invest its time and resources into the game. He added that there is irony in the fact that Polo is on a strong note in countries like England and Argentina while in Manipur, the Manipuri Ponies are on the verge of extinction and the lack of financial support is leading the association to not being able to send its players to national and international tournaments.
End-point:
Perhaps taking note of this, the Manipur government has announced that it will increase the amount sanctioned to the Manipur Horse Riding and Polo Association for the maintenance of the Manipur Pony breeding farm. Further, 30 acres of land has been earmarked by the State Government for development of polo in Greater Imphal area. But it was Nicholas who had the last word who said that the players from the visiting team were very inspired by the efforts and dedication of the Manipur Horse Riding and Polo Association and were very inspired by their efforts. While promising that he would lead in raising awareness about Polo in Manipur and Manipuri Ponies, he also said that he would take up fund raising drives within the Polo circuit. The very first gesture of walking this talk came in the form of a donation of 2 lakhs to the Manipur Horse Riding and Polo Association made by the visiting players.
(A shorter version of this article has appeared in The Times of India, Guwahati Edition earlier.)