Dhyan Chand, the name is enough! Someone, on whose birthday the national sports day of the country is celebrated, isn’t a name to forget. Chand was an Indian Field Hockey Player, a legendary stick-worker, known for his exceptional dribbling and goals. Arguably, the best Centre forward ever to play field hockey, Chand would be instrumental in getting India not one but 3 consecutive Olympic Gold medals right from the debut of Indian Hockey team at the mega event.
Could be more, but World War II ensured that the next two editions of Summer Games were cancelled and when Olympics came back in 1948, India saw another hockey legend coming out to win the world, yes, Balbir Singh Dosanjh, who’s known as Balbir Singh Senior as well.
Dhyan Chand: Born & Family
| NAME | Major Dhyan Chand Singh Bais |
| COUNTRY | India |
| GENDER | Male |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 29, 1905 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Allahabad, India |
| NICKNAME | Chand, the wizard, The Magician of hockey |
| FATHER’S NAME | Sameshwar Dutt Singh |
| MOTHER’S NAME | Sharadha Singh |
| NAME(S) OF SIBLING(S) | Roop Singh, Mool Singh |
| SPOUSE’ NAME | Janaki Devi |
| CHILDREN NAME | Ashok Kumar |
| DEATH | December 3, 1979 |
| PROFILE TYPE | Sportsperson |
Sport Profile
| SPORT | Field Hockey |
| DISCIPLINE | Men’s Hockey |
| ACTIVE/RETIRED | Retired |
| ROLE | Centre-Forward |
| LEVEL | National, International |
| COACH | Pankaj Gupta and Subedar Manoj Bhole Tiwari |
| TEAMS | India, Central Province |
Achievements/Records
1. Leading Goal Scorer in the Amsterdam 1928 Summer Games for the Olympic Gold winning Team.
2. Second leading Goal Scorer, behind his brother and team mate Roop Singh, in the LA 1932 Summer Games for the Olympic Gold winning Team.
3. Captain of the Olympic Gold winning Team in Berlin 1936 Summer Games.
4. Leading Goal Scorer in the Berlin 1936 Summer Games for the Olympic Gold winning Team.
5. In 1951, Major Dhyan Chand Tournament was founded to celebrate the Wizard.
6. Padma Bhushan, the 3rd highest civilian award in India, in 1956
7. In 1980, the Government of India issued a commemorative postage stamp in honor of Dhyan Chand. He’s the first Indian Hockey Player with this honor.
8. In 2002, the National Stadium, New Delhi was renamed to Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium.
9. In 2002, the lifetime achievement in sports was renamed to Dhyan Chand Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sports and Games.
10. The Indian National Sports Day is observed on August 29 every year, and that is the birthday of Dhyan Chand.
11. Dhyan Chand’s statue was erected in Vienna, Austria, to honor the legendary hockey player.
References:
2. 8 Legendary Indian Hockey Captains Who Won Olympic Gold Medals
3. Olympics History: 8 Times When India won Olympic Hockey Gold Medals
4. Los Angeles 1932: Know the Journey of Indian Field Hockey Team
5. National Sports day of India- the real meaning
6. Amsterdam 1928: Know the Journey of Indian Field Hockey Team
7. Berlin 1936: Know the Journey of Indian Field Hockey Team
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