"My lady, wake up!" Nila opened her eyes to see Gauri standing by her cot.
"Hurry and get dressed, my lady" Gauri said with barely suppressed enthusiasm.
"What happened?!" Nila asked, waking up in panic.
"Today, the Huns and the Sassanians are playing Chovgan" Gauri said, with a smile, "This a big event! Please, get ready and join us!"
Nila dressed in haste and joined Gauri who was accompanied by the other women. They headed towards the field where Chovgan was going to be played.
"What is Chovgan?" Nila asked, Gauri excitedly explained, "My lady, Chovgan, known as Chowkan among the Sassanians is an important pastime in the Sassanian court! This game is a traditional horse-riding game played on a flat, grassy field by two competing teams of players mounted on horseback!"
Nila raised an eyebrow, "How exactly is it played?"
"Each team has five riders, my lady!" explained Gauri, The game starts at the centre of the field and players use wooden mallets to try to drive a small leather or wooden ball into their opponents' goal"
Nila and the women arrived at the playing field, Gauri led Nila to a wooden dais, Nila sat on the chair. Gauri stood next to Nila and pointed out, "Listen to the music, my lady" Nila paid attention and heard an instrumental folk music. Gauri explained, "This music is an integral part of Chovgan and it is known as Janghi."
Nila saw the players riding to the centre of the grassy field. There were indeed two teams, the Huns wearing red and the Sassanians wearing yellow. All of them were wearing large astrakhan hats, long tight-fitting coats with a high waist, special trousers, socks and shoes. Nila looked around and saw that people of all ages had come to watch the traditional game.
One of the women beside Gauri whispered to Nila, "My lady, this sport is special because it strengthens the feelings of identity rooted in our nomadic culture and the importance of the horse as an integral part of our everyday life."
Another woman added, "Yes, my lady, there are specific rules, skills and techniques of Chovgan which are transmitted from experienced players to beginners through collective training."
"Ssh" said Gauri, "the match has begun"
Nila paid attention and she could see intense competition among both teams. The Sassanians could not afford to lose since they were the inventors of the game. The Huns couldn't afford to lose because the Huns were a force to be reckoned with.
Mihira scored a few goals by driving the wooden ball with his mallet into the opposite team's goal. The Sassanian King, Peroz, was not far behind and he scored a few goals as well.
Nila noted that Mihira played like a man possessed. "My lady" Gauri said, "For my lord, winning is everything. For him, victory is more dear than life. I have raised him all these years. If there is one thing I noticed about him - he would sacrifice anything in this world just to win."
The match's intensity increased as neither Mihira nor Peroz were ready to cede even one point to the opposite team. Mihira drove the ball a few more times into the opposite teams goal with relentless strength of arm. Suddenly, one of Mihira's men failed to pass the ball into the opposite teams' goalpost. Mihira galloped at breakneck speed towards the ball. Peroz came rushing from the opposite direction to get to the ball.
Nila was shocked to see that in his haste, Mihira knocked down his own man from his horse. In her mind, Nila could hear a sickening crack of bones, of Mihira's fallen teammate. Nila watched as Mihira raced towards the ball, he whipped his horse mercilessly. He dug his heels into the horse's sides and with one huge leap, he reached the ball before Peroz. With all the strength he could muster, Mihira struck the ball into the opposite team's goalpost. The ball went at an alarming speed straight into the goalpost.
The Huns won the match by a point and cheers erupted from the crowd. Mihira raised his mallet into the sky and twirled it between his fingers. His men rushed into the field and raised Mihira high into the air. Mihira searched for Nila among the crowd and waved at her.
To Mihira's surprise, Nila ignored him and rushed into the field. She tended to the injuries of the fallen man and ordered the women to assist her in helping the man to his feet. Mihira tried to catch her eye, so that he share his joy at victory, only to be ignored again.
While Nila was tending to the man's injuries inside her tent, Mihira rushed in after her, "What was that, Nila?" he asked, curtly.
Nila glanced to the side and saw that Gauri stepped back in fear. Nila raised her eyes and saw freezing iciness in Mihira's gaze and tone.
"I won! I thought you would be celebrating with me. Instead, you looked as if you wanted the Sassanians to win?" he asked, a tinge of jealousy creeping into his voice.
Nila calmly rose to her feet and walked towards Mihira. She drew her arm back and slapped Mihira across the cheek. Before he could say a word, she slapped him again with the back of her hand, "You disgust me"
"You would do anything to win, wouldn't you, Mihira? Anyone else be damned!" Nila hissed, in rage, "How could you celebrate your victory after the way you treated your own man and your poor horse"
"Do you know what happened to the both of them?" Nila asked, shaking with fury, "Skin nearly peeled off your horse and the bones of the ribcage are shattered in this man"
Mihira stared at her in shock, "Nila, I did not mean to hurt either of them. I did not mean to hurt you! I was just so focused on the game that I didn't notice anything else"
"That's why you disgust me" said Nila, "You do not care enough to so much as notice the consequences of your actions as long as you win. In this world, the only thing that matters to you, Mihira, is winning at all costs"
GLOSSARY
Chovgan - Polo
REFERENCES
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polo
https://ich.unesco.org/en/USL/chovqan-a-traditional-karabakh-horse-riding-game-in-the-republic-of-azerbaijan-00905#:~:text=Each%20team%20has%20five%20riders,instrumental%20folk%20music%20called%20janghi
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