# Daughters of the Polo God

Daughters of the Polo God is a 2018 Indian Meitei-English bilingual documentary film directed by Roopa Baruah and edited by Hemanti Sarkar. 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.
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.
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.

## Background

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. 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."
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.

## Reception

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. 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 |

## Screenings

The film received official entries in many international film festivals organised across the world. 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 | - | - |

## Accolades

The film received 6 international awards at 5 International Film Festivals held at different countries of the world.
| Awards | Category | Results |
| 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 |
| Equus Festival New York 2018 | Best Documentary Short | Won |
| Rajasthan International Film Festival 2019 | Women Empowerment Award | Won |