The world's oldest existing polo club - the Calcutta Polo Club - is back on the map after a gap of 10 years.

Facilities have been restored to their past glory and none other than Gayatri Devi was among the spectators for a grand two-week tournament that saw the best Indian players take strike.

For a moment you could be forgiven for thinking you were back in the times of the Raj. The thud of racing hooves, the thwack of the mallet ringing out on the greens of the Calcutta Polo Club after a break of 10 years.

It's not as if the oldest existing polo club in the world had shut shop. But in the last decade its condition had slipped, in comparison to the polo clubs of Jaipur and Delhi. But now it has pulled itself up by the bootstraps.

"I think it's nice to have polo in Calcutta. We all have come from Delhi to get the local players interested and the Calcutta Polo Club must make an effort to do that,” said Angad Kalaan, polo player.

“And since we are here, it gives the local players a chance to improve their skills and know what polo is being played in Delhi and Jaipur. So now it's basically for the Calcutta Polo Club to continue with this," he added.

The Calcutta Polo Club, established in 1862, has seen streams of royalty come to watch this regal sport. And as it hosted the prestigious BFL Polo Tournament 2006, the royalty was back and so was the glitterati.

"Polo has been a part of Calcutta and it's welcome that it's been revived. With the IT companies coming to the State and all that the CM has been trying to do for the city, it's nice to know that we are also concentrating on our football and polo which is a very privileged sport," said actress Moon Moon Sen.

The actress' daughter Riya said, "I think it's great to have polo here, they should have a lot more matches. I have been watching polo as a kid but have not done so ever since it has stopped here. It's nice to be back and get a feel of it again."

With tournaments of this large a magnitude being held after 10 long years at the Calcutta Polo Club, it looks like the sport is well on its way to becoming a popular game in the city.