Veteran actor Nafisa Ali shared a vintage picture of Priyanka Chopra standing next to her as she gave Shah Rukh Khan a regiment’s black polo jacket at a polo tournament in Delhi in 2007. Nafisa also delved into great depth regarding her late husband, Col. RS Sodhi’s 61st Cavalry.
She wrote, “This was when Shahrukh Khan and Priyanka Chopra came as chief guests to our polo tournament in Delhi. We presented him with the regiment ‘s polo jacket. My husband’s Regiment the 61st Cavalry, was formed immediately after India’s independence in 1947, following the amalgamation of the princely states with India. All regular and irregular erstwhile state forces’ cavalry units were disbanded to raise a new Horse Cavalry Regiment.”
She then explained about the event as follows: “In 1954, the Gwalior Lancers, Jodhpur/Kachhawa Horse and Mysore Lancers, which were the cavalry regiments, were merged to form the 61st Cavalry. One of the world’s last remaining horse-mounted regiments — the 61 Cavalry — prominently known for its ceremonial and equestrian roles is set to be converted into a full-fledged armoured regiment.”
“The regiment also participated in the battle of Haifa in Israel. Haifa Day is celebrated every year on 23 September to pay tribute to the Indian cavalry regiments of Mysore, Hyderabad and Jodhpur, which helped liberate Haifa in 1918. The decorated regiment has also earned a Padma Shri, 11 Arjuna Awards, 9 Asian Games medals, a gold medal in Polo World Cup against Pakistan, silver in Jakarta Asian Games, among other accolades in equestrian sports,” she stated.
She also quoted, “The regiment is a symbol of India’s heritage. The Army’s 61st Cavalry has around 300 horses.”
The tournament was reportedly attended by Shah Rukh and Priyanka following the success of their blockbuster 2006 movie ‘Don.’ In 2011, the second installment was released, and everyone is now impatiently awaiting ‘Don 3.’
The star-studded NMACC launch in Mumbai was attended by the two, although they were not seen together there. Shah Rukh is currently busy shooting for ‘Jawan.’ He also has ‘Dunki,’ together with Taapsee Pannu. In contrast, Priyanka is occupied with promoting her new series, ‘Citadel.’ She will shortly begin filming for ‘Jee Le Zaraa’ alongside Katrina Kaif and Alia Bhatt.
