Saddled Up

Sunjay Kapur’s younger days were the kind that every teenager would want to live. He has truckload of memories of him travelling to Chicago and England for summer camps. It would have been a regular day had he not gone out with his friends to watch a polo match. “I was unfamiliar with the sport until my friend introduced me to it. Soon, it became a habit to watch polo matches frequently,” recalls the CEO of Sona group. Least to say, that first polo match was beyond exciting, which explains why he decided to pursue the sport competitively.

Of course, being a spectator and actually playing the sport is vastly different, and it was in 2005 when he started playing the game competitively. It took a while until Kapur got comfortable. “I was very nervous for my first ever polo match. I was competing with professionals with several decades of experience,” he says. But that did not dampen his spirits. Every opportunity to play a game was to practice and perfect his style. Asked how many matches Kapur has played till date, he proudly says, “Polo is a competitive game. I have lost count, but definitely around 1,000.”

Kapur sees polo as the best way to resuscitate his mind and soul. Does he miss the liberty of squeezing in a game, during the week, every once a while? Sure. “Nowadays, I get very busy over the week due to the work pressure. So weekends are usually reserved for playing polo”, he adds. His games may have become irregular lately, but he still adheres to the lessons he picked up from playing polo: being patient and a team player. Kapur says, “Polo has also helped me to understand my teammates and their moves. For knowing your teammates you need a perfect concoction of calmness and leadership skills.” This lesson goes on to reflect on his personal and professional lives, and also motivated him to form his own polo team, Sona Polo. Kapur still manages to catch up his old polo buddies in England. As for what comes next, he doesn't want to stop playing anytime soon, until he truly has to.