CHENNAI: If you google ‘Polo Chennai’ - the Volkswagen Polo is the only thing that pops up. No hint of horses or players. And yet, Kishore Futnani whose polo playing days date back to the 1970s recalls, “Then, Madras was considered one of the biggest centres for the game in the country.” The 65-year-old who is part of a project that goes by the name ‘Polo 2.0 Chennai’ will be getting back to the game after 30 years on Sunday.
In a bid to resurrect the game, veteran players like AC Muthiah, who many may not know was once president of the Polo Club in Velachery, have come together for the initiative. And according to Irshad Mecca, who is co-ordinating the event, the idea is not just to bring back access to the sport in Chennai, but to give city enthusiasts a window to other metros in the South that are more active in the game like Bengaluru and Hyderabad. “This friendly match in Chennai will actually be a qualifier to select players for a tournament in Hyderabad in a few weeks.” .
Of course, the biggest challenge in all of this is getting ponies who are schooled in the game. Trained anywhere between six months and a year to get the basics down - these prized steeds develop a reputation based on the number of tournaments they’ve won. “Since polo is hardly played in Chennai, most of the ponies for this event had to be driven down in custom floats from as far as Mysuru and Jaipur,” Irshad reveals.
Space is the next big question. In fact, lack of space is what led to the slow death of the game back in the 80s. “We had over four grounds in Chennai when polo was at its prime here - two at the Officer’s Training Academy, one at Raj Bhavan and another on the MA Chidambaram property in Kotturpuram. But each of them were slowly re-purposed for something else, until there were just no more grounds to play on,” says Kishore. Incidentally, the minimum requirement for a polo game is 300 x 150 feet for the faster paced Arena format, while outdoor polo requires a 10 acre field!
Owing to which the game on Sunday is actually taking place at a nondescript factory ground on Poonamallee bypass road, and not in any of the better known sports grounds in the city. Perhaps the most endearing part of returning to the game is sharing the experience with their sons. Out of four teams, three have father-son duos riding together this weekend. And what of back pain and ice packs later? Vikram Mavaji who is the odd one out being taught by his son responds, “I’m sure I’ll need it tomorrow. For now, the adrenaline has kicked in well and truly.”
1st polo club Estd in 1862
■ Modern game of polo is derived from Manipur where the game was known as ‘Sagol Kangjei’, ‘Kanjai-bazee’, or ‘Pulu’
■ In 1862 the first polo club, Calcutta Polo Club, was established by two British soldiers. Later, they spread the game to their peers in England
■ The Raja of Kolanka presented the Madras Polo & Riders Club with the Kolanka cup, according to veteran player Kishore Futnani. At six feet tall and made of pure silver, the cup made a Guinness World Record for World’s Tallest Sports Trophy back in the day. Polo players wait feverishly for a day when they can compete for it again