One of the best hockey players that our nation has ever had, Dhyan Chand. Not only did he make our country’s name shine in International sports events, but the way he played hockey was so iconic, that the defenders would look as if they have no idea what’s going on between the ball and his hockey stick. Chand played a pivotal role in India winning three consecutive Olympic gold medals in 1928, 1932 and 1936. His birth anniversary, 29th August, is celebrated as the National Sports Day in India and the President gives away awards such as Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, Arjuna and Dronacharya awards on this day. Here are 10 interesting facts about the iconic player that every Indian must know:
Dhyan Chand joined the Indian Army at the young age of 16 and took up hockey while he was still enrolled. Since Dhyan Singh used to practice a lot during the night, he was given the nickname ‘Chand’ by his fellow players; his practice sessions at night invariably coincided with the coming out of the moon. ‘Chand’ means moon in Hindi.
You will be surprised to know that Major Dhyan Chand aspired big in life since he was a little kid. In fact, the hockey legend used to love wrestling.
During the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics, Dhyan Chand was the leading goal-scorer with 14 goals. A news report about India’s victory said “This is not a game of hockey, but magic. Dhyan Chand is, in fact, the magician of hockey.”
Even though Dhyan Chand was involved in several memorable matches, he considered a particular hockey match to be his best. “If anybody asked me which was the best match that I played in, I will unhesitatingly say that it was the 1933 Beighton Cup final between Calcutta Customs and Jhansi Heroes.”
India beat USA 24-1 and Japan 11-1, during the 1932 Summer Olympics,. Dhyan Chand scored 12 goals while his brother Roop Singh netted 13 out of the 35 goals India scored. This led to them being dubbed the ‘hockey twins’.
Once, when Dhyan Chand was unable to score during a match, he argued with the match referee about the measurement of the goal post. To everyone’s shock, Chand was right; the goal post was found to be in an infringement of the official minimum width prescribed under international rules.
Adolf Hitler was so impressed by Dhyan Chand’s stick work that he offered him German citizenship and the rank of Colonel in his army.
Dhyan Chand’s marvellous playing feared the officials in Netherlands. This made them break his hockey stick just to check if there was a magnet inside.
To honor Dhyan Chand, the residents of Vienna, Austria had set up a statue with four hands and four hockey sticks, depicting his mastery in the game.
During a match with Germany in the 1936 Olympics, Dhyan Chand lost a tooth in a collision with the particularly aggressive Germany goalkeeper Tito Warnholtz. Returning to the field after medical attention, Dhyan Chand reportedly told the players to “teach a lesson” to the Germans by not scoring. The Indians repeatedly took the ball to the German circle only to backpedal.
Prasanta Patnaik