Yesterday's royal pursuits are today's modes of relaxation, leisure opportunities that are as exotic as they are varied. Not that the people of Rajasthan lacked for occasions where they could practice their skills in the vast terrains that lay at their command. The land may appear, at first sight, unexciting for the pursuit of sports, but the people clearly though otherwise, and under the patronage of the nobility, a well-entrenched system of skillful outdoor activities was encouraged.

Since the people lived in close proximity to their land, it was inevitable that they saw in it the ability to transform the mundane into the exciting. Skilled warriors and horsemen, for example, the Rajputs were able to refine their riding skills when it came to competitive sports, creating among the finest polo teams in the world.

At a less privileged level, the villagers too responded with races for camels and cattle, unusual competitions that ranged from turban-tying to racing horse carriages and carts.

If polo was nurtured in Rajasthan, safaris and safari camps were an essential part of their defence strategy. Later, the advent of the British resulted in the formalisation of many of these activities, and golf was introduced.

In more recent years, outdoor lovers have found the open countryside with its undulating dunes ideal for recently introduced sports opportunities such as ballooning or gliding, while traditional pursuits have been turned into a host of leisure activities such as rallies and desert safaris. The extensive waterbodies in Rajasthan are now seeing the origin of water - related sporting activities.