CHANDIGARH, May 25: The land of five rivers will once again resound with the hoofbeats of galloping horses coupled with the thump of laminated mallets striking wooden balls.Seventy years after the last polo match was played in Punjab, the thrilling game is being revived in the state to commemorate the 300th year of the birth of Khalsa.A polo tournament is scheduled to be organised at Patiala in the second week of January 1999 as a part of the anniversary celebrations being mooted by the state government.The last polo match in the state was played in 1924 at Shimla, when the Punjab state comprised of the present states of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and part of Pakistani province of Punjab.The Indian Polo Association (IPA) has requested the Punjab Government to give an undertaking on the requisite specifications of the field, accommodation and transport for the visiting teams, stable facilities for the horses and the cost of transport of horses and players from Delhi to Patiala and back.The essence of the game's revival is in the notion that the horse has figured predominately in all environs associated with forging Punjab's history, including wars, martial arts, social as well as equestrian events.The Punjab chief minister, Prakash Singh Badal had earlier written to the Chief of the Army Staff, Gen V.P. Malik, who is also the IPA president, seeking the Army's assistance.In his correspondence with the Army Chief, Badal had pointed out the lack of suitable facilities and resources in the state and its inability to stage such events without assistance. Badal had referred at tapping the resources possessed by the Army in terms of horses and riders as well as its management skills. All assistance as approved will come through Headquarters Western Command, Chandimandir. Several teams from the Army and polo clubs in Delhi are expected to take part in the tournament.Patiala has been considered as the cradle of Indian polo, with one of the most renowned teams of the last century hailing from the former princely state. Having produced polo legends like General Chanda Singh, General Pretum Singh and Colonel Heera Singh during the Raj, Punjab still has polo champions to its credit, but champions who, for exigencies of service and facilities, exhibit their talents elsewhere.In 1891, the then Maharaja of Patiala, Rajinder Singh introduced the game to his state. While scouting for talent, he came across a cavalryman serving with the 16th Bengal Lancers, Chanda Singh, who had already made his mark in the regimental polo team.In a very short span, the Patiala team became a force to reckon with. In 1895, it created a sensation by defeating the Jodhpur team, then considered invincible. From 1896, the team won the Beresford Cup at Shimla for three consecutive years.In 1909, then Col Chanda Singh went to play in Europe, where the King of Spain was so impressed with him that he requested the colonel to play for his team. Another notable lancer, Heera Singh of the 12th Bengal Cavalry was taken in by Maharaja of Patiala into his army in 1892. His rise from Duffadar to Colonel is attributed to his skills on horseback. One of the finest and surest hitter, he is considered as one of the last players who won matches by their individual play alone.Another polo stalwart was Gen Pretum Singh, an exceptional horseman and a goal scorer. One of the finest players to play as No.1, he was the backbone of the Patiala polo team.The Patiala and Jodhpur teams clashed in the Indian Polo Championships from 1920 to 1922, where Patiala won twice. In 1924, Patiala won the Bresford Cup and the Viceroys Staff Handicap Cup at Shimla for the last time, after which the team was disbanded.
