At Namami Barak, rivals unite to recreate a bit of polo history

SILCHAR: The origins of polo can be definitively ascribed to the northeast of India, but there are two regions in the northeast which can lay claim to being the birthplace of the sport. While the oldest polo ground in the world is the Imphal Polo Ground in Manipur, the first polo club in the world was formed at Assam's Silchar in 1834. The first ever competitive polo match in its modern form was played in Silchar, as a plaque behind the district library here chronicles.
As if to commemorate this history, the second day of the Namami Barak festival on Sunday afternoon saw a polo match at the Gandhi Mela ground between teams from Barak and Sangai. Barak, the home team, defeated Sangai 6-4. The four-a-side 30-minute match, which was organized by the All Manipur Polo Association, drew huge crowds and generated considerable excitement.
"Although the first polo club in the world was established in Silchar by Joseph Sherer, a lieutenant in the Indian army who was posted in Assam's Cachar in the 19th century, the sport is no more played in this part of Assam now. We invited players from Manipur, which is known as the home of polo and where the sport is popular among the locals even now", said a festival official.
President Ram Nath Kovind, who is on a four-day visit to the northeast, will attend the closing ceremony of the Namami Barak festival on Monday. The three-day river fest, which was inaugurated by chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Saturday, has drawn huge crowds in all its pavilions - exhibition stalls, cultural functions, seminars and arati on river Barak. Although the festival is going on in all the three districts of Barak Valley, the main function is being held in Silchar.
"Besides showcasing the potential and possibilities of the Barak Valley, the festival will ensure a boost in trade and economic activities in this part of Assam," said state minister of commerce, industries and transport Chandra Mohan Patowary on Sunday. Talking to the media at the festival venue, the minister said the Barak Valley will eventually be a gateway to southeast Asia under the government's Act East policy.