This article has an unclear citation style .(September 2022) |
Daughters of the Polo God | |
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Directed by | Roopa Barua |
Based on | Women's empowerment and Saving endangered Meitei horse (Manipuri pony), together for the development of Polo (Meitei: Sagol Kangjei ) |
Produced by | Roopa Barua |
Edited by | Hemanti Sarkar |
Music by | Sunayana Sarkar |
Release date |
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Running time | 33 minutes |
Country | India |
Languages | Meitei (Manipuri) and English |
Daughters of the Polo God is a 2018 Indian Meitei-English bilingual documentary film directed by Roopa Baruah and edited by Hemanti Sarkar. [1] [2] It is based on the story of girls and horses empowering each other. It is about saving the endangered Meitei horse (Manipuri pony) and empowering women in the sport of polo (Meitei : Sagol Kangjei ) simultaneously. [2] [3]
The film is about Meitei women moving forward in the male-dominated sportive society of polo sports. It also shows the development of their special relationship with their Meitei horses (Manipuri ponies). They are always trying at their best levels to be able to participate in the annual polo tournament.[ citation needed ]
The film starts with Sagol Kangjei (Old Manipuri : Sakol Kangchei), the ancient form of form of polo as a wartime peace exercise in Antique Kangleipak (Ancient Manipur). It was a war game. That means the sport was placed during peacetime so warriors could practice their war skills. It ended up with the present day advancements of the Manipur Horse Riding and Polo Association. It creates a cultural, ecological, historical and social relationship between the sport, the horses, and the ethnic groups of humans who live in that part of the world. [4]
The polo started in the far corner of the North East India (Ancient Manipur). It has been developed there for many centuries. At the same time, Women's empowerment has been very active in the history of Manipur. Roopa Barua, the maker of the "Daughters of the Polo God", took interest in these facts. So, she set her project on it. [3] She said,
"A young polo sisterhood is developing in Manipur that ploughs on in spite of adversity and political turmoil. They are intensely connected to their sacred Manipuri pony and play an international tournament every year. My film is a tribute to these polo players, the modern Manipuri women and the pony campaign. [3] "
She spoke to the media that Meitei girls are empowered a lot and have been able to play and do well for themselves. Before the beginning of the journey, the polo girls offered prayers to Marjing, the "Polo God" of Meitei religion (Sanamahism), at his pantheon. And so, the name of the film is also taken from the sense that the polo player girls are the daughters of their beloved father like Polo God of their own ethnic religion. Notably, it took over four years to complete the making of the movie. [3]
The Equus Festival takes its winning films on a film tour across North American and European countries. The "Daughters of the Polo God" was also one of the winners. So, it was also shown in the different places. [5] These are:
Venues | Month | Year |
---|---|---|
Baltimore Maryland | January | 2019 |
Camden South Carolina | February | 2019 |
Santa Fe New Mexico | March | 2019 |
Meadville Pennsylvania | April | 2019 |
Canada | September | 2019 |
Scottsdale Arizona | September | 2019 |
The film received official entries in many international film festivals organised across the world. [5] These include:
Official entry | Seasons | Venues |
---|---|---|
Equus New York Film Festival | December 2018 | New York |
Rajasthan International Film Festival | January 2019 | Jaipur, Rajasthan |
Northeast Film Festival Pune (in collaboration with National Film Archive of India) | February 2019 | Pune, Maharashtra |
Asia's Women Film Festival | March 2019 | New Delhi, India |
UK Asian Film Festival | March 2019 | United Kingdom |
New York Indian Film Festival | May 2019 | New York |
South Asian Film Festival | 2019 | Vancouver |
Tasveer South Asian Film Festival | 2019 | Seattle |
South Asian Film Festival | 2019 | Montreal |
Brahmaputra Film Festival | 2019 | India |
DC South Asian Film Festival | 2019 | - |
Indian Film Festival | 2019 | Houston |
Mustard South Asian Film Festival | 2019 | Philadelphia |
Busan International Animal Rights Film Festival | - | - |
The film received 6 international awards at 5 International Film Festivals held at different countries of the world. [5]
Awards | Category | Results |
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New York Indian Film Festival 2019 | Best Documentary Short | Won |
UK Asian Film Festival 2019 | Best Documentary | Won |
Vancouver South Asian Film Festival | Best Documentary | Won |
Equus Festival New York 2018 | Directors Award | Won |
Best Documentary Short | Won | |
Rajasthan International Film Festival 2019 | Women Empowerment Award | Won |
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The Manipuri Pony is a traditional Indian breed of small horse or pony from Assam and Manipur in north-eastern India. It appears both in the history and the mythology of Manipur, and was used for warfare and polo. It is believed to have been the polo pony in use in Assam in the mid-nineteenth century when British tea planters first saw polo being played, and the height limits set for polo ponies were based on ponies of this breed. It was very numerous in the early twentieth century, but numbers have since fallen. A breed society was established in 1977, and a breed standard was drawn up by the Indigenous Horse Society of India in 2009.
India is the birthplace of modern polo. The modern game of polo is derived from Manipur, where the game was known as sagol kangjei, kanjai-bazee, or pulu. It was the anglicised form of the last, referring to the wooden ball that was used, which was adopted by the sport in its slow spread to the west.
Manipur is home to a population playing many different sports.
The Cinema of Manipur is the film industry based in Manipur, India. It includes not only Meitei language movies but all the films made in different languages of the different communities in Manipur. The Manipuri film industry was born when Matamgi Manipur by Debkumar Bose was released on 9 April 1972. From Aribam Syam Sharma's Paokhum Ama, the first colour Manipuri film (1983), M.A Singh's Langlen Thadoi, the first full-length colour Manipuri film (1984) to Oken Amakcham's Lammei, the first Manipuri digital film (2002), Manipuri cinema, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2022, has grown in both its form and culture.
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Khoriphaba is a God in Sanamahism, the indigenous religion of Manipur. He is the son of Sky God Salailen and the Goddess Konthoujam Tampha Lairembi. He came down from heaven to earth to search for his mother and then for a bride. He is best known for wrestling with Loyalakpa in the Lai Haraoba festival. He is also a Sagol Kangjei(polo)-playing God.
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And That Is Why... Manipuri Myths Retold is a children's book based on 12 stories from the Meitei mythology of Manipur, written by L. Somi Roy and published by Penguin Random House India. It was launched by Member of Parliament Rajya Sabha and titular King of Manipur Leishemba Sanajaoba at the palace compound, Imphal on 21 June 2021. The stories are adaptations of tales found in the puyas.
The Manung Kangjeibung is an old polo field located to the south west of the citadel inside the Kangla Fort in Imphal West district of Manipur. In ancient times, only royalties and nobilities were allowed to play the game of polo in this royal playground. It is one of the two most ancient pologrounds in the world, the other one being the Mapal Kangjeibung .
The Marjing Polo Statue is a colossal classical equestrian statue of a player of Sagol Kangjei, riding a Meitei horse, constructed at the Marjing Polo Complex, the sacred sports site dedicated to God Marjing, the ancient Meitei deity of polo and horses, in Heingang, Imphal East District, Kangleipak . It is the world's tallest statue of a polo player. It is built to commemorate the game of "modern polo" being originated from Kangleipak.
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The Heingang Ching, also known as the Meitei: Marjing Hill, is a hill in Heingang, Imphal East district of Kangleipak. In Meitei mythology and religion (Sanamahism), Heingang Ching is a sacred mountain and the home of God Marjing, the ancient Meitei deity of Sagol Kangjei, Khong Kangjei, and Meitei horse.
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