New stamp from India

 

Date of Issue : 29 November 2014

India Post released a postage stamp on Sagol Kangjei on 29th November 2014.

Courtesy – Mansoor B. -  Mangalore

Sagol Kangjei ( Polo )

Sagol Kangjei is the name of the game of polo played in Manipur. Sagol means pony / horse, kang means a ball or round object, and jei is a stick used for hitting. Polo has, for time immemorial, been a game patronised by the royalty and the upper crust of society, not only in India but abroad. However in the state of Manipur, it has always been a game for the common man. It is a seven - a - side game, the players mounted on ponies.

According to a renowned Sanskrit scholar, Pandit Sharma, Manipuri polo goes back to the year 3100 B.C. Other Manipuri scholars trace the game chronologically to many centuries before Christ ( 2000 - 1500 B.C. ), while some place it around 34 A.D. According to Kangjeiron Purana, which is really the history of hockey in the state, polo was first played in Manipur, and therefore, it got the name Sagol Kangjei - sagol ( horse ) and kangjei ( hockey ).

Manipuri polo symbolises the immense cultural heritage of the state, and great efforts have been put made to raise the standard of this popular game. The prominent patrons of the game were King Kyamba and King Khagemba ( 1597-1672 A.D.), and King Chandra Kirti ( 1850 - 1886 A.D.). The latter, especially, is to be credited with popularising the sport in other parts of the world.

Club News

Glimpses of ASSAMPEX 2014

Courtesy - Madhukar Deogawankar, Kolkata

Special Cover on Golden Jubilee of Sainik School, Goalpara, Assam released on 12^th November 2014

Sainik School, Goalpara initially started its operation from a temporary campus at Goalpara town and late on in the year 1976 it was shifted to its permanent campus in Mornoi, situated 18 km from Goalpara town en route capital Guwahati. It was established on 12th November, 1964 under the Ministry of Defence. It is a residential school for boys, providing Public School Education with an aim to prepare them to join Defence Services. It is affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education, New Delhi. The Primary aim of the school is to prepare boys academically, physically and psychologically for entry into the National Defence Academy (NDA) at Khadakvasala, Pune. The motto of this school is ‘Everything is Possible’. The idea of sainik schools were presented by the then defence minister V. K. Menon in 1961.

A Special Cover was released to mark the Golden Jubilee of Sainik School, Goalpara. The cover was released by Assam Chief Minister Shri Tarun Gogoi at the Golden Jubilee celebration function held at its School Campus, Goalpara on 12^th November 2014.

Courtesy – Indian Philately Digest