Commemorating History With A Game Of Polo Saragarhi Battle Honoured As British Army Team Takes On Indian Polo Team
- Uploaded by Jaipur Polo Club Mehak Chowdahary
- Published in Polo Club News
- Hits: 21355
- Print,
-- It promises to be 'not just another game of Polo' as the Delhi season gets ready to host the biggest game of the year - between the British Army Polo Team and the Indian Polo team (comprising of its Sikh members - the Sherdils). Commemorating the famous Saragarhi battle, where 21 Sikhs went down battling a force of 10,000 tribesmen, the Polo match will be played on 3rd December at the Jaipur Polo Ground. This is an annual one-off match between the British and Indian teams, and was instituted last year in London with Prince Charles at the helm of affairs. New Delhi is all set to host the annual event's second edition on Saturday.
The Saragarhi Polo Cup was instituted in year 2010 by the Anglo Sikh Heritage Trail (a UK based Sikh charitable body which works towards preservation of Sikh heritage) and was a means to engage the people via Polo, and enhance their knowledge about this battle fought in 1897. With UNESCO recognizing this battle amongst 8 famous battles in history, the motivation to take this piece of history to both the British and Indian homes served as the impetus behind the tournament. The delay and defense by the Sikh regiment at the Saragarhi outpost saved communication links and paved the way for the British empire to extend its influence to this area. Saragarhi now lies in Pakistan.
For the match, a two special Army bands have been organized and noted Sikhs along with celebrities of substance will be part of a sunny, Saturday afternoon. The maharani of Patiala (and MoS External Affairs), Ms Preneet Kaur will be the chief guest for the afternoon.
Notes to Editor
ABOUT THE ANGLO SIKH HERITAGE TRAIL
The Anglo Sikh Heritage Trail is a project of the Maharajah Duleep Singh Centenary Trust. The Trust was first established in 1993, the centenary year of the death of Maharajah Duleep Singh, the youngest of Maharaja Ranjit Singh's sons and last ruler of the Punjab. The primary objective of the Trust is to highligh and promote Anglo Sikh heritage. Since its inception it has engaged in a series of initiatives, including the 1999 Arts of the Sikh Kingdoms exhibition in collaboration with the V&A, the annual Portrait of Courage lecture at the Imperial War Museum and the Jawans to Generals exhibition in collaboration with English Heritage. The Anglo Sikh Heritage Trail was first launched by British Home Office Minsiter Fiona McTaggart MP at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, in July 2004.