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| Sunday, 29 February 2004 |
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| News Business Features Editorial
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A Ball, A Stick And An Elephant by Farah Macan Markar
13th February 2004. It is a cool, slightly drizzly, slightly sunny Friday in Galle. The ideal day to be out in the open air. To sun bathe, yet not be parched, to game an out door sport, to take a stroll, to sit out and gabber. As the clock ticks on, the ramparts overlooking the grounds are slowly filled up. Lovers take shelter under a colourful array of spotty blue and white, striped yellow and green and chequered orange and white umbrellas. Families and friends groups up together as if out for a picnic. The lone men hang out their legs over the ramp. All eyes are glued to the game below. Only the children seem unaffected, kicking an old football, turning cartwheels and playing tag. The young living life while the adults watch on.
It is the 4th Annual International Elephant Polo Tournament being played for the first time in front of the historic ramparts of the World Heritage Fort of Galle. The previous three games being held in Weligama, the Galle Tournament has eight teams fighting it out to the end. Tickle & Ivories of Australia, a Scottish Chivas Regal, Bombay Light Horses of India, British Gurkhas of Nepal, a Thailand Anantara team, a Hong Kong, Hong Kong group, an all girl team of Elephinos and a Taprobane Sri Lanka team. Taprobane comes out as overall winners in the end.
At the opposite end is the Players' Tent, Media Corner, Drinks-Cashew Nut-Pea Nut Tusker Bar and an open aired shop selling Elephant Polo Shirts, Umbrellas and other Polo and Elephant memorabilia. The players' Mounting Platform stand midway looking over the grounds. It is a high bamboo'd structure, shaped like a sentry watch out post, with a rope dangling down for players to get on and off the pachyderms. The Mounting Platform is also the Commentator's Box and the Verbal Rattler sits feet propped up, mike at one hand, a drink in the other, surrounded by beautiful girls, giving life and energy to an otherwise slow paced game.
With the exception of one player, even the Sri Lankan Taprobane team is represented solely with foreigners. The "hatted", "booted" and colourful "Player's Shirt and Pants" wearing foreigner play the game (hitting the ball with the stick) seated on top of a cushion placed on the elephant's back, while the "Sarama andapu" Sri Lankan Mahout seated on the elephant's bare neck, is the one who guides the elephant around. Well, there was an All Mahout Tournament too, which was played as the last item, in the final day of the three day event. Even out of the heated game, it's a tourist invasion. The foreigners watch the match from the sheltering spectator's tents, while the locals look on from up high in the Ramparts and behind the entrance gates. Some local essence is added on the final day however with a Sinhala commentary being run in between the English one and more Sri Lankans filling the stands. The fact that the players are nearly all foreigners is somewhat understandable when one takes into account the cost of the game, US$ 5000 per participating team. Says Geoffrey Dobbs, President of the Ceylon Elephant Polo Association, organisers of the event, "To hire an elephant cost 35,000. A further 21,000 rupees is added for its transportation. I get no profit from this tournament. I just manage to cover its cost, but I still do it anyway for I have a love for the sport". Let's talk a bit about the pachyderms and the game itself. The sixteen elephants brought from all over the island are specially trained for the game and then graded into four categories of three players and a reserve. Three elephants and three players are used per team, for each game, which consists of two seven minute "chukkas" of playing time, with an interval of 15 minutes in between. To ensure fair play the elephants, mahouts and ends are changed at half time. The men have to play the stick with their right hand, while the women can use both. The game is all about hitting the ball with a long stick from the top of an elephant to the goal. The Mahout guides the elephant with the use of his leg. Sitting on top of the elephant's neck he taps his left leg for it to turn left, his right for it to turn right and presses both together for it to stop. The first game of elephant, ball and stick was played centuries ago by Moghul Warriors with the heads of their enemies slain in battle. The less aggressive game originated 22 years ago, founded by an Englishman and a Scotsman living in Nepal explains Dobbs. "The Englishman was running a jungle lodge which had domestic elephants for safari purposes. The Scot was a polo player. They decided to have a go at the game using an elephant. Thus emerged the sport "elephant polo". The game was brought to Sri Lanka by the said Geoffrey Dobbs to develop up market tourism in the country and bring attention to the plight of the Asian elephant. "Sri Lanka has 120 domestic and 5000 wild elephants. Dobbs hopes to bring the game to Galle Face Green, someday in the future. |
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| Produced by Lake House |
In the grounds below a slow and furious game is being played. No this
is not the Galle Cricket Stadium. The match is not that everyday game of
cricket. The Samanala Grounds of Galle is being battled out by a sport
utilizing a ball, a stick and an elephant. Or rather, a ball, sticks and
elephants.
The atmosphere in the grounds resembles a colourful day out picnic. The
spectators stands are filled up, decorated with banners supporting each of
the teams. The flags of the seven countries fly high up their tall poles,
all neatly in a row.
The tournament is jovial, fun, competitive and challenging. At the same
time one senses a colonial tone to it as well. The eight teams represent
different countries but most of the players are Brits, coupled up with a
few Australians.
