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How India forgot to celebrate its hockey legend Dhyan Chand

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Boria Majumdar
Boria MajumdarJul 24, 2015 | 18:33

How India forgot to celebrate its hockey legend Dhyan Chand

Writing about Dhyan Chand, then a Lance Naik in the Indian Army, captain of the Indian hockey team in 1928, Jaipal Singh, stated, “(He) was humble. He had only one pair of trousers. I took him to Austin Reed on Regent Street. We went downstairs. Trousers galore were shown. ‘Can I take them upstairs and see them in the sun?’ That finished me. I told Shaukat the story. ‘What else do you expect of a Lance Naik?’ he laughed."

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However, with a hockey stick in hand the very same man turned into a genius. Dribbling past opposition players with sublime skills, he was the architect of three Indian gold medals at the Olympics in 1928, 1932 and 1936, the last time as the skipper.

Dhyan Chand, not many know, had one serious regret. That he did not get an opportunity to play Britain in Olympic field hockey. Britain, fearing a defeat at the hands of the colonised, had withdrawn from the Amsterdam Games in 1928 despite having won gold in field hockey in 1904 and 1920. When asked if this was true, Dhyan Chand said, “I reiterate that this is mere hearsay (that England dropped out of the Amsterdam Games fearing the Indians), although we fondly hoped that at least in future Olympics we would have the honour of meeting Great Britain and showing them how good or bad we were. It is my regret that this hope was never realised so long as I participated in Olympic events.”

It is interesting to note that he is being honoured by the British Parliament for his outstanding achievements, the second time an honour is being bestowed on him in England in the last five years. During the 2012 Olympics, the organisers had accorded respect to Dhyan Chand and Roop Singh by naming two of the underground stations after them. And now Ashok Kumar, Dhyan Chand’s son, has been invited to a special ceremony in the British Parliament that will decorate his legendary father further.

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Western recognition is nothing new for Dhyan Chand. Reports published in the 1930s make it clear that Dhyan Chand was an idol in the hockey world of Europe. Germany held him dear, calling their best hockey player "the German Dhyan Chand". At Prague a young lady insisted after the match on kissing India’s hockey wizard, a demand that made him extremely uncomfortable. "He is an angel," she declared before kissing him.

If the sports ministry and the government are listening, is it not time to confer the Bharat Ratna on India’s most decorated Olympian, someone who is being celebrated round the world?

Last updated: August 29, 2016 | 09:36
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