Decline of pony population cause for concern
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: October 08, 2022 -

EVERY concerned citizen would be eagerly expecting that the proposal for conservation of pony sent to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in January, 2021, as stated by Union minister of state for education and external affairs Dr RK Ranjan, would evoke positive response at the soonest possible for the horse breed, inseparably associated with Manipuri civilisation since time immemorial, is today in a pathetic condition and on the verge of extinction.

The urgent necessity for concerted efforts and effective policies on conversation of ponies could be comprehended from the Union minister's remark made in a national workshop on 'Manipuri Pony Conservation & Sustainable Management: Emerging Issues & Challenges' held at CAU, Iroisemba on Thursday that its number has declined to only 500.

As per the report of the 19th Quinquennial livestock census of 2012, there were only 1101 ponies in existence compared to around 1898 in 2003, thereby corroborating gravity of the threat posed to survival of the animal.

Ponies occupied a prominent place in the history of the land and till date continue to have an undeniable presence in the social life of Manipur.

The horse breed, known for its sprinting prowess and alacrity, is the only reason why the game of polo has been an integral part of the Manipuri ethos, though it was the Britishers who actually gave it a place in the world.

According to historians, the prominent patrons of the game were King Kyamba and King Khagemba (1597-1672 AD) and King Chandrakirti (1850-1886 AD), with the latter also credited with popularising the sport in other parts of the world. Moreover, the Guinness Book of Records in its 1991 edition says "Polo: Origins: Origins of Polo can be traced to origins in Manipur State 3100 BC when it was played as Sagol Kangjei".

Contrary to such rich history, the hallmark of pony and polo in contemporary Manipur is that unlike in other parts of the world where the majestic horses and the game are owned and patronised by royal families and upper crust of the society, it is played by the ordinary citizens who apparently love the game but couldn't afford to home-feed the animals.

Moreover, the commoners appear to be lacking sense and responsibility in the conservation aspect as is evident from ponies rammed to death by heavy vehicles, grievously wounded in attack by sharp weapons after straying into farms or private property, ponies left to wander on the streets and scavenge for food at waste dumping sites, etc.

As such, there is every reason for all the stakeholders, the government in particular, to join hands and ensure longevity of ponies for their extinction has the potential to erase one of the glorious chapters of history of the then Manipur kingdom.

The national workshop organised on Thursday by the Central Agricultural University and the Directorate of Research under ICAR National Research Centre on Equines, Hisar was primarily aimed at dissecting factors for the rapid decline in the number of Manipuri ponies and help in framing policies effective enough to prevent its extinction.

As the discourse had the participation of animal experts and policy makers both from the national and state level relevant follow-up measures must be placed before the government authorities for the latter would ultimately have to shoulder the responsibility to at-least stabilise the pony population.

It is also high time that the government authorities introspect what good has been brought about by framing the Manipuri Pony Conservation and Development Policy, 2016, failing which there might come a time, when either the future generations are reminded about origin of the game of polo in Manipur in history books or the government brings in non-indigenous breeds for continuity of the polo tournament conducted as a core component of the Manipur Sangai Festival.