ABOUT US
AIM:
We wish to transform this area to its old glory and seek the co-operation of like minded people to join hands with us in making this dream a reality – a dream dreamt up by a group of far sighted citizens about 122 years ago, it will be a gift from the Trust to the people of Shillong, to people who reside in a town that is fast running out of clean, safe and green areas.
OBJECTIVES:
The primary objective of the Trust is to provide areas for the people of Shillong for their sporting and other recreational activities & to try and bring back the beauty of the Polo Grounds.
Our Story
At a meeting of some residents of Shillong held on the 12th of November 1901, a Trust in the name of The Shillong Recreation Ground Trust was formed in order to take on the responsibility of bringing about great improvements of the unsightly appearance and unhealthy condition of a portion of the land commonly known as the ‘Umkhrah Valley’ lying
immediately to the north of the Shillong Station to provide a conducive site for polo, gymkhana, horse racing and other sports and games. The Trust was also given the responsibility of procuring enough land in the, ‘Umkhrah Valley’, and also to take on the task of clearing and preparing the land for the above said sporting activities as might be from time to time determined
for the benefit of the residents of Shillong. The Trust was duly registered at the Sub Registrar’s office. To meet the aforesaid aims, the Trust subsequently purchased three plots of land situated at the ‘Umkhrah Valley’ generally now known as the Polo grounds on which sporting and other recreational activities have been taking place for well over a hundred years.
At the meeting the following gentlemen were duly appointed as the first Trustees Phillip Richard Thronhagh Gordon -A Major in His Majesty’s Indian Staff Corps and Superintendent of Ethnography inAssam residing in Shillong. (Author of the book titled ‘The Khasis’).William McMurdo Sweet, gentleman of Shillong.George Russel Row – A Major in his Majesty’s 8th Gurkha Regiment.Robert Herriot Henderson, gentleman of Dewan in Cachar.Charles Howard Holder of Dacca.George Loftus Garth, Dacca Solicitor.
A short time later, George Loftus Garth died on 16th June 1904 and this was followed by the resignation of George Russel Row. The Meeting of the remaining Trustees held on 12th July, 1904, appointed Arthur William Davis – Inspector General of Police, Assam, residing at Shillong and Malcolm Macgregor Hadow, of Dibrugarh, Assam, Solicitor in place of George Loftus Garth and George Russel Row.
To meet the expenditure for improvements and construction etc, the Trustees decide to raise money estimated at
`35,000.00.
The first and immediate herculean task of the Trust at the time was to divert the course of the Umkhrah river which flowed through the paddy fields (now Football Ground No.2 and Football Ground No.3). The work was allotted to one Mulla Buksh for filling and levelling the old course of the Umkhrah River, and the earth was dug out from a neighboring ground which in the process formed a tank which came to be known as ‘Buksh’s Tank’ and to the Khasis as, ‘Ka Nan U Bok’ in its literal meaning. The work was completed in the latter part of 1906 while the improvement work and construction of the Race track and Polo field was going on.
From 1907, the Trustees of the S.R.G.T. appointed an agency i.e. the General Sports Committee, to start conducting regular races, gymkhana, football, hockey and other games on behalf of the Trust. On the other hand, the Shillong Polo Club used to conduct polo games during the games season. Polo players used to come with their ponies from Dacca and Calcutta to participate in the polo games. The conduct of the races was under the appointed body of stewards in the name of ‘Shillong Races’ which later, in 1936, came to be known as ‘The Shillong Gymkhana Races’.
From the early days only people with social standing were appointed as Trustees. Some of the earlier Trustees were A.G. McCall, OBE, ICS, Deputy Commissioner, H.G. Bartley of the Indian Police, A.H.S. Fletcher, MBE, ICS, Deputy Commissioner, R.W.A. Ashe, commissioner of Income Tax, U.C. Roy, IAS, K.C. Baruah, I.A.S Deputy Commissioners and a host of other senior officials. One of the Trustees was a gentleman who went on to become the President of India, (L) Shri Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed who was then Advocate General of Assam. Thereafter there were other reputed citizens like (L) Mr.Maham Singh, MLA and solicitor, (L) Mr. Stanley Nichols Roy, MLA, (L) Mr. L.K. Handique, Director of Agriculture, Govt. of undivided Assam whom Mr. J.M. Pariat replaced followed by Mr. Wallampphang Roy, (L) Colonel O. Laloo, Indian Army, (L) Mr. Hector Roy, Chief Engineer/Secretary, PWD, (L) Mr. L. Jyrwa, a local resident who knew the Trust history well.
All Trustees are appointed as per the provisions of the law and by the power conferred upon the Trustees by the Trust Deed. All appointments are registered at the Sub Registrar’s office. Hence a Trust cannot ‘die’ but can carry on indefinitely as long as Trustees are legally appointed.