Excelsior Sports Correspondent
LEH, July 11: First ever Ladakh Polo Festival commenced at Shagaran, Chuchot Yogma, today.
The festival was inaugurated by CEC, LAHDC Dr Sonam Dawa, who was the chief guest, in presence of guest of honour Nawang Rigzin Jora, MLA Leh.
The festival has been organised by Indus Chuchot Polo Club under their Chuchot Village Welfare Project and sponsored by Overland Escape, a Leh based Travel Company.
CEC in his address said that Polo match showcases unity of religion in Ladakh but as a matter of sorry state this heritage sport of Ladakh has remained ignored at the cost of achieving material development.
He emphasized on the need to revive and promote polo to pass it to the coming generations as rich cultural heritage of Ladakh and suggested to follow traditional dress code on such festivals. He said that Ladakh Polo Festival is a great initiative taken to preserve the sport of polo and applauded the organisers, sponsors and villagers of Chuchot for their endeavour in ensuring cultural preservation and promotion. He expressed great hope that soon teams from Ladakh will participate in national polo match and advocated it as a concrete step to ensure tourism promotion in Chuchot.
Jora credited Ladakh Polo festival to be the first such festival conceived and initiated by public and guaranteed its success in long run. He explained that it is called tourist dispersal where efforts are made to disperse tourists and revenue generated from tourism business to rural areas then to keep it confined to urban area. He further added that besides the aim of generating income sports like polo should be played for entertainment purpose. Jora asserted that once elected politics is about public service and every elected leader holds the responsibility to provide its people the best of basic amenities and ensure growth and development to give them a comfortable and good life. He added that such festivals become a mean for everyone to get united and spread the message of oneness.
Tundup Dorjey, Proprietor, Overland Escape and the main sponsor of LPF briefed about the aim and objectives of organising LPF.
MLA, Leh Nawang Rigzin Jora initiated the archery match and EC Agriculture Tsering Angdus declared started the polo matches by throwing the first polo ball during the occasion today.
The LPF also comprise of cultural shows, exhibition stalls of local handloom and handicraft and local food stalls.
Among others present were EC Animal Husbandry Mumtaz Hussain, religious heads, district officers, invited guests, village head and villagers.
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