Passionate strokes

GAME OF LEGACY

No, it’s not a bird; it’s a ball which was thrown by a man clad in all white attire who hurriedly left the field. A group of short dhoti clad, turbaned and bare feet players galloping upon ponies with mallet wielding in their hand rushes in to catch the ball. The conch shell was blown and the game of polo started. Definitely this game is different from the polo we see in our sports channel. It is Manipuri Polo — locally called Sagol Kangjei — mother of the modern polo we know. After throwing the ball, the referee — Huntre Hunba — rushes out of the field as Manipuris play it really tough with minimal rules for interference. In 1928, King Churachand Singh brought some restrictions in the rustic ways. Joseph Shearer was instrumental in dragging out this sport from the untouched valley of Manipur to Europe.

The earliest records of Manipuri polo can be found in their The Royal Chronicle, Cheitharol Kumbaba, where friends of Prince Ngonda Lairen Pakhangba played amongst themselves to commemorate his ascending ceremony with his wife Laisana by his side. Ancient Manipuri texts like Thangmeirol and Kangjeirol (Art of polo) refurbishes its antiquity. Since then, the game has been played with seven players on each side. However, exceptions were recorded in the Viceroy’s Note Book of Lord Curzon, where even ten players were allowed to participate in the match at Imphal Polo Ground in 1901. The Guinness Book of Records (1991) traces the origin of this wonderful game to 3100 B C when it was played as Sagol Kangjei (Horse Hockey). Amongst the different clans that came and settled in this region from far flung areas like Myanmar and South China as well as from the Indian heartland, there was a tribe called Chenglei. One of the chieftains of this clan, Lord Marjing, is hailed to be the soul who introduced this beautiful game. Persians, according to the Guiness Book, also used to play an identical game in the name of Pulu at around 525 BC. It was also played in China since ages. Inspite of some debates around its origin, polo was introduced to the outside world by Joseph Sherer, who is considered as the father of modern polo. Manipur was an independent state till 1891 before coming under the British rule. In 1826, Prince Gambhir Singh, with the help of the British, succeeded in regaining the lost territory, which historically is called “The Manipur Levy”. It is during this phase that the British came in contact with the sport.

In 1853-54, the then Assistant Deputy Commissioner of Cachar district of Assam, Robert Stewart, is said to have first played this game of Sagol Kangjei at Silchar, the district headquarters. The Silchar Polo Club was started by Lieutenant Joseph Shearer in March 1859. This was probably the world’s first polo club. Seven years later, this game was played in England for the first time between 10 Hussars and 9th Lancers with eight players on each side at Aldershot, Hampshire.

 Recently, this November 2010, during tourism Shangai (Antlered Manipuri deer) Festival in Manipur, Sagol Kangjei was played amongst the panas (clans) on the Mapal Kangjeibung Ground with gaiety.

The traditional game is played with seven players in each team and the ground is measured 160 sana lamjei by 80 sana lamjei, each sana lamjei being six feet. Each player has to be a right hander and a good horseman. The number of goals is predetermined and the team that reaches it first wins. With each goal the conch is blown. If the stipulated number of goals is not reached on the first day, the game is carried over to the next days, when the player plays with the same pony. There is no goal post, but the entire goal line is the goal.

The half-time is called Pallonba, which is a breather taken when any one of the teams reach a predetermined number of goals. At this time, they change sides. However, during the half-time of the match, there is Pot Lanba, meaning presentation of sweets, fruits, other eatables and flowers by the audience to the dignitaries present,  and the polo players.

 The 100 mm ball called Kangdrim, made of bamboo root, weighs about 150 gm. A four-and-a-half feet mallet is used as a mallet having a narrow studded head to hit. Each player is dressed in specific coloured jackets — red, blue, etc — indicating the clan he represents. The turban is tied to the chin with a coloured band so that it doesn’t fall off. The players are commoners who are passionate about carrying forward their forefather’s legacy.

With the dwindling natural habitat, the pony used for this game is also becoming extinct. These ponies are regularly smuggled into Burma owing to its demand there in transport and agriculture.

At Iroisiemba, Imphal (west) along with the help of the Central Agricultural University, the breeding of the ponies is undertaken. May be an exclusive sanctuary for this pony breed might keep this unique game alive.