CM moots Sagol Kangjei chapter in school syllabus
Source: Chronicle News Service / DIPR
Imphal, November 27 2022:
The First Chief Minister's Sagol Kangjei Championship, 2022, organised by All Manipur Polo Association (AMPA) as part of the Manipur Sangai Festival, 2022, concluded at Manung Kangjeibung, Kangla, here, on Sunday.
The championship was organised under the theme "Save Manipuri Pony, Save Grazing field, Revive Sagol Kangjei" as part of the campaign to save Manipuri ponies.
Addressing the closing ceremony as chief guest, chief minister N Biren stressed the need to take up stringent measures to preserve and promote Sagol Kangjei, the indigenous game of Manipur, which was later adapted into modern polo.
Preservation of Sagol Kangjei includes all aspects of care, remembrance and revival of Manipuri pony that have played a major role in protecting sovereignty of the erstwhile Manipur kingdom, he said.
Referring to the agility and endurance capability of the horse, which is best suited for battle purpose, Biren recalled how the population of the horse came down during the Burmese occupation for seven years as the Burmese invaders captured around 2000 horses for cavalry and took with them.
The Burmese used the same horses to invade Thailand, the CM said.
He made a proposal to the organisers to rename All Manipur Polo Association as All Manipur Sagol Kangjei Association along with a suggestion to create a corpus fund for organising the tournament every year without fail.
The CM also spoke about the renovation of the statue of king Bhagyachandra taming a wild elephant erected in the middle of Khwairamband Keithel and said that it is the responsibility of the present generation to respect older generations and preserve the heritage for future generation.
He also suggested inclusion of chapter on Manipuri history in school syllabus.
Biren regretted that the previous governments focused on preserving the structures and evidences of British occupation as the history of Manipur while ignoring the glorious history before the British.
It is time to restore and develop old history of Manipur to show to the world and the future generation how a small yet powerful kingdom ruled the region for thousands of years.
In this line, the government is in the process of installing statues of Manipuri army guarding Kangla with guns and swords in their hand just before the British occupied the palace and carried out destruction of many structures.
Promoting indigenous games is also part of the initiative to promote the glorious history of Manipur, he said.
The CM went on to say that a detailed account of Manipuri pony and their significant contribution in the once powerful kingdom of Manipur is described in the book written by retired lieutenant general Himalay titled 'Indigenous Game of Manipur Polo Sagol Kangjei Horse Cavalry of Manipur' .
A chapter in the book titled 'Decline of Manipuri Kingdom and Cassey Horse' has detailed descriptions on how the Burmese took around 2000 horses from Manipur during their occupation and used them to annex Thailand.
Such historical accounts need to be included in the school syllabus to make the students aware, he stressed.
Speaking on the occasion, Rajya Sabha MP and titular king of Manipur Leishemba Sanajaoba opined that organising the Sagol Kangjei championship provides an opportunity to save pony, take up initiatives for their survival and promotion of the indigenous game Sagol Kangjei.
He also suggested inclusion of a detailed chapter on Sagol Kangjei in the school textbooks in order to create awareness among the children.
The championship started from November 18 and continued for 10 days.
Altogether 14 teams participated in the championship.
Manipur Police Polo Team and Tentha Polo Club played the final match in which Manipur Police Polo Team won the trophy and received a cash prize of Rs 2 lakh.
Runners-up.Tentha Polo Club received a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh along with trophy.
Cabinet ministers, MPs, MLAs, AMPA members, delegates, artistes and senior officials of the various departments also attended the closing ceremony.
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