TIme to PLaY PoLo

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has brought the royal game of polo back. In 2007, when the Shiromani Akali Dal and the BJP government had come to power in Punjab, both parties had promoted kabbadi as the state’s main game. In the process, polo was forgotten. Since then, the Patiala Polo and Riding Club in Amarinder Singh’s hometown was lying defunct. Patiala saw the last tournament in 2004 during the previous chief ministership of Amarinder Singh. And now, for reviving Patiala’s polo infrastructure, Amarinder Singh has sanctioned a budget of Rs 50 lakh. The Patiala royalty was back in action as the Western Command Polo Challenge Cup kicked off in association with the Punjab government at the Civil Aviation Club near Patiala Polo and Riding Club (PPRC) on Saturday. It was a precursor to the Military Literature Festival. The PPRC was formed in 2004 and affiliated to the Indian Polo Association.

An eight-member Pakistan team, comprising army men and civilians, could not take part in this polo event as the Indian high commission in Islamabad denied it visa. It was granted visa only up to Delhi. Amarinder Singh told The Sunday Guardian that polo was in line with the traditions of Punjab, where horse breeding was common. The state’s culture has promoted horsemen and related sports. He himself participated in a polo match in 2004 during his previous tenure as CM. Amarinder Singh captained the riding and polo team in National Defence Academy in 1959.