I am NOT a player of the game, but being a horse lover,have a keen interest in it.
Polo is probably the fastest field game.It has the largest field. It is also one of the oldest team sport in the world.It's origins can be traced back to more than 2500 years ago. The exact date and place of origin is not known. Though it has been played all over Asia from Persia to China including India.
"Let other people play at other things. The king of games is still the game of Kings."
When cavalry was an important part in the battle field . The horsemen spent their peace time , playing the game to better their riding skills. It is believed that the ancient game consisted of as many as a 100 horsemen a side. What a sight it must have been. Almost a mock battle .
Qutubuddin Aibakh who built the Qutub Minar in Delhi died while playing the game. He was the founded of the slave dynasty and ruled for about 4 years.
The game has evolved ever since.
The first Polo Club was started in Silchar .
The second oldest was the Calcutta Polo Club. The Calcutta Polo Club is presently the oldest Polo club still in existance.
I was honoured to have Safarigent over for my Wildlife photo exhibition. He was one of the few guys who attended it.
Next morning we decided to ride together. I wake up late (7a.m.) so I asked him to give me a wake up call.
Sure enough I got a call at 5 a.m. Like an enthusiastic little kid I was up and ready in an hour.
{As a child I would hate getting up early in the morning. They say if your kid doesn't get up early put him on a horse. That's what my father did.Sure enough (at 5 yrs) I fell in love with horses at first sight.}
We met up at the riding club. I am almost twice Safarigent's age . So I insisted I get a decent horse to start with. The last I had sat on a horse was in Argentina more than 6 months ago. Grossly overweight and not in the best of my physical condition , I found myself tired after a few rounds of the field.
Safarigent on the other hand was as fit as ever and wanted to ride on even after an hour on horseback. Finally it was time to go. We took a round of the stables and before leaving Safarigent tried his hand with the mallet. His shots were neat and well struck. It was a short demo. for the young Polo players standing nearby.
We were also told that there was a cobra which lived close to the stables. Our "Shambhu shikari" (just back from his African hunt) was ready to go after the snake . He asked me to be ready with the camera as he would flush out the snake from his hide out with the Polo stick. I asked him not to disturb the snake .
Interestingly this cobra was more than 11 feet long. He had never bitten a human or a horse. There were enough rats in the barn. The rats were feeding on the gram (chana) which was kept for the horses. The cobra was putting a check on the rat population. Everyone was living in peace and harmony.
