Sagon Kangjei (Polo)
- Part 2 -

P. B. Singh *

2nd Manipur Statehood Day Women's Polo Tournament on 17th January 2017 :: Pix - Deepak Oinam

It is common knowledge that parallel culture spring amongst different people, at different times in areas widely separated, there being hardly any possibility of transfer of culture and ideas by contact. The people living in this valley of a mere 700 square miles could have and did evolve 'sagon kangjei', and a game of ball and stick played on their small ponies without having been taught by migrants from Tibet or Persia.

It is difficult to deny giving credit to the people of this small state and her 'sagon-kangjei' players for introducing the game of polo to the western world, through the British tea planters of Silchar. Mentions of'chougan' and 'pulu' and the description of these games have been made by travellers like Marco Polo, Anthony Sherley and scores of others in their travelogues, but these writings did not enthuse anyone into playing the game. It was the sight of the Manipuri 'sagon-kangjei' players playing the game in Silchar in 1859 that set the western world to play the game.

The playing of sagon kangjei starts in the Meitei month of "Mera" (October and November) and ends in the month of "Ingel" (June and July) when the fields are water logged and become extremely soggy. The work of rice cultivation becomes heavy and there is no time to spare. Unlike other polo playing countries, in Manipur.

sagon-kangjei is the game of the common people played in the villages. Still to this day, sagon kangjei is played in the villages, mostly those situated to the south of Imphal. So in the month of 'Mera', when the early harvest is on and the heavy weeding is over, the villagers start playing sagon-kangjei. A village will throw a challenge to another village,and a match is fixed. Supporters will flock to the playing fields with 'athen-pot' (presents) for the 'pot-lanba' (actual presentation). The athen-pot' contains eatables, fruits, sugar cane cut up in small lengths and skinned, fruit, juices, paan, etc.

At the break in the game, these supporters would rush into the playground and make the offerings - pot-lanba. These matches are great occasions and villagers flock from places far away. Good players are hired to play for a team. Thangjam Chaoba Oja, relates that he had once to travel most of the night to play at Yairipok. He had a singing engagement and could not start before evening and the road was bad. After the match, he received rupees two. Usually teams travel to the match early in the morning and on arrival have their meals. Four hours of rest was considered sufficient for both men and their steeds.

For 'pana matches, the players may play only for their 'pana'. Two panas may combine to form a team to play against the combined team of the other two panas. Ahallup pana can only combine with Naharup pana, and Khabam pana with Laipham pana. The match played between the combined teams is called 'Chare Kare'. Pana and Chare Kare matches are played before the King or his high representatives, for the simple reason that if arguments and differences arise between the two teams, the rulings of lesser persons may be ignored and hence, serious fighting, may result.

The word 'pana' spoken of games and sports has a different connotation to the pana' spoken of revenue areas. The valley is divided into four revenue panas - Ahallup, Naharup, Khabam and Laipham. All the 'yumnak' (surname) existing among the Meitei community of the valley are grouped into four 'pana' - Ahallup, Naharup, Khabam and Laipham. The revenue areas may probably be a later arrangement, adopting the existing names. The connection of a person to the revenue pana is as long as he resides in that revenue pana, but his attachment to the 'yumnak pana' is permament. He is born into that yumnak and the pana in which his yumnak is grouped. In the case of Rajkumars, he will follow the yumnak of his mother.2

Youth who attain proficiency in any games or sports are recommended by the experts in that game or sports to the elders of their pana. When the elders and the ojas of the pana agree by a majority to take him as a pana player, he has to perform a ceremony. He has to make offering, 'Pana-Hunba' to his pana elders and senior with sweets, and a length of cloth to each of them and make obeisance. He then sends present of sweets and a length of cloth to the seniormost member of the three remaining pana. After this, he is enrolled as a pana player. The colour of the pana is white for Ahallup, yellow for Naharup, green for Khabam and red for Laipham .

The position of the seven players on the field is the same as for khong kangjei. They pair off with their counterpart of the opposing team, and take their position which in Manipur is along the length of the field, from one goal side to the other. In khong kangjei, since covering distances on foot is tiring and slow, these players stand in their allotted places. In sagon kangjei, they tend to converge at the centre of the field. In the games originating from the west, the ground is divided by the half line, running through the centre of field and

before the start of the game; the players are confined to their home side. Usually sagon kangjei field is fifty to sixty 'lams' by forty or fifty 'lams'. A 'lam' is approximately a fathom or six feet. The shorter sides, the goal sides are to the north and south ends of the rectangular field. The players thus speak of hitting south or north. There are no goal posts. The whole south or north side constitutes the goal.

The ball crossing any part of the goal sides means that a goal had been scored. Starting from the goal side is the place for the 'Pun-ngak' (full-back). A little up the field towards the centre play the 'Pun-ngak-chung' (half-back); and still further up the field is the place for the 'Pulluk' and at the centre plays the 'Lang-jei' (centre). Across the half line on the other side is another 'Pulluk'. In football and hockey there used to be right and left centre. They played right and left of the centre as the name suggests but here these 'pulluks' play 'fore' and 'after' of the 'Langjei' (centre). Further up the field, playing against the opponents 'pun-ngak-chung' is the 'Pun-jen' and the 'Pun-jen-chung' pairs of with 'Pun-ngak' the full back.

The game is started by the 'Hantre-hunba'. He advances from the side of the field towards the centre. On reaching the centre, he tosses the ball high into the air shouting 'Hantre' and quickly retreats. All the players had been milling about with the mallet ends of their sticks well up in the air, trying to strike at the ball or trying to catch it. If a player manages to catch hold of the ball, he dodges and makes for the goal side of his opponent and when close enough, he throws the ball up in the air, and momentarily his left hand leaving the reins hits the ball as it descends over the goal side with both hands.

As in khong kangjei, there are little or no rules so also in sagon kangjei even if no one can commit a foul. However, the observance of 'Thaksi-khasi' compels a player to play fair. The Meitei word 'Thaksi-khasi' can be described as 'proper etiquette' with 'proper discipline'. All players are enjoined to observe 'thaksi-khasi', proper decorum and orderliness.

For example, if a player strikes the stick of his opponent when other is not going to play means that he has not observed 'thaksi-khasi'. Other players will consider him to be a boor. His fellow players may not say in many words but the combined attitude towards such player in the long run compels him to play fairly and indulge in playing a clean game.

To be continued....