It is not very often that a larger than life personality makes an appearance and leaves a lasting impression on society. True or not, it is then left to folklore and imagination to prop up that image.
His Highness Maharaja Bhupinder Singh
of Patiala was one such personality. Everything he did was really larger than
life.
He stood over two meters tall in his
stockinged feet, had a magnificent physique and was immensely powerful. It is
said (folklore!) that he could hit a sixer wielding a cricket bat with one
hand!
He was an expert horse rider and his
Patiala equestrian team was second to none. As were his stables. The Patiala
Polo Team had an unbroken record of victories. Their feats at tent pegging were
legendary.
One day news came to His Highness
that a new unit of the British cavalry that had been recently posted to Ambala
(Umballa then). They were superb polo players and expert marksmen at tent
pegging.
“Invite them over”, said His Highness
to his ADC. It was more of a challenge than an invite. But then, that was the
way His Highness functioned.
The British cavalry arrived one
evening and were feted in great style, Patiala style! A sumptuous multi course
dinner, washed down with barrels of wine topped off with a hundred year old French
Armagnac. An army band, including bag pipers regaled and impressed the guests
with their music and marching.
The partying continued late into the
night and the British staggered off into their quarters.
Next morning, punctual as only the
British could be, the British riders were bright eyed and raring to go into
action.
Hoping that the Brits were hung over
and shaky, His Highness decided to put the cavalry in for tent pegging first.
Tent pegging means the horse is at full gallop, the rider needs balance, a
sharp eye and pin point accuracy to spear the peg.
They performed flawlessly, not
missing a single peg. The Patiala Team was amazed and also a little unnerved.
If the Patiala Boys missed even one
peg, they would lose.
As they broke for lunch, orders went
out to the state carpenters to make pegs that were larger than the normal size.
As was expected, Team Patiala
performed to perfection. Thanks to the large Patiala Peg!
The mist of time can cloud history.
Times change, values change and certainly concepts change. Today hardly anybody
has seen a Polo match or witnessed the superb spectacle of tent pegging. And
when anyone mentions a Patiala peg people take it for granted that it is the
peg that has been relegated to the bottom of your glass!
The Patiala Peg is a great legacy
that has been established through the ages. In the entire world of alcohol,
there is a chota peg or a bara peg.
For the Sardars, there is no chota
peg or bara peg. There is only one measure for a drink.