The sun-scorched maidans of Mumbai reverberate with the crack of willow on leather. Local lads wield improvised bats of discarded wood, striking bundled rags across dusty gravel. It is gilli-danda, a game as old as the land itself. The origins are uncertain, but the joy is visceral. Centuries later, English ships arrive on Indian shores. …
The Ruler who wooed through Polo The Year was 1206 AD. Sultan Qutb-ud-din Aibak galloped down the polo pitch, focused intensely on the small wooden ball ahead of him. As his Persian steed thundered forward, he timed his swing perfectly. With a resounding crack, the sultan’s long-handled mallet struck the ball between the goal posts. …
“My kingdom for a horse”, Richard the III as expressed by Shakespeare.The passion for such sports exists vast, far, and unbelievably deep. The “Formula 1” of Equestrian sports, Polo – is a sport filled with questions, intrigue, and dedication. Every sport has a fiscal reward attached. Although the costs are heavy, and the outcomes unknown, …
The Sport of Kings: A History of Polo Over the Millennia Polo – the game of horseback riders hitting a ball across a grassy field – has a history that stretches back over 2,500 years. While seen today as a sport for the wealthy elite, polo originated as a training exercise for cavalry units in …
Where boys become Men Since time immemorial, the landscape of India has been dotted with villages. In these small, close-knit communities, life always presented its fair share of conflicts. But the hot-blooded youths found a way to channel their competitive fire into kabaddi. In a remote hamlet, under the sweltering subcontinental sun, bare-chested young men …
