Magazine | edition-two

Birth of the Calcutta Polo Club

Let's raise the bar. Icons never go out of style. Nor are they created on a whim. Long years of painstaking passion goes to make a lovable legend. Deep study and research enhances the ethos. The rarest of diamond is polished with zeal. The glow is everlasting, LA POLO is committed to celebrate legendary milestones that have left a distinctive mark. Drool-worthy stilettos, gleaming crystal chandeliers, the Calcutta Polo Club that has hosted top-notch stars, and the amazing Taj Palace Hotel in Mumbai exemplify stuff legends are made of Browse through these pages to take a close look.

30th June 2018 | India

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Birth of the Calcutta Polo Club

The club is a celebration of life and runs the oldest polo trophyLike love at first sight, the Englishmen who watched polo in Manipur were smitten by the attraction of the game.
Calcutta was witness to the romantic rendezvous of the British players with polo. It eventually housed the oldest polo club in the world, the Calcutta Polo Club. Capt GJ Young husband wrote in Polo in India, “The first polo club formed in India, of which we can find any record, was started by the late Colonel R Stewart, then Superintendent of Cachar, in 1862. Calcutta emerged as the first laboratory to invent the thrilling form of equestrian hockey.

Stewart’s brother also laid matches between the Barrackpore club and the Calcutta club in 1863. Calcutta became the arena for the English officials to revel in the glory of polo. The Calcutta Polo Club also achieved a momentous milestone in facilitating the foundation of the Indian Polo Association (IPA) in 1892. It was no surprise that the IPA recognised the arduous contribution of the club by declaring Calcutta as “the only proper and logical venue for the yearly discussion of the championship of India.”

The Calcutta Polo Club runs the oldest and the first-ever polo trophy, the Ezra Cup (1880), The Royal Entourage of Winter 1875 The Prince of Wales, the future king, Edward VII, was welcomed to Calcutta by the lieutenant governor of Bengal, Sir Richard Temple. The river near the Diamond Harbor was lit with pomp and show. The royalty was received by the Viceroy, Lord Northbrook and Calcutta was jubilant with hues of extraordinary charm.

Montague Massey’s “Recollections of Calcutta” tells us about the feasts, dances, concerts and evening parties held in the mellow gardens. The annual state ball, with over 1,500 guests, was an unforgettable event. The “Star of India”, the Durbar and the investiture was held by Lord Northbrook, Viceroy of India, to honor the late king Edward. Many came to pay their homage to the future king. Amongst them was the Begum of Bhopal, known for her unflinching support for the government of India and the British Raj, even during the dark days.

The Knight’s grand procession unfolded in

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