Current Affairs

Issue

The Union government has renamed Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award as Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award.

 

Details

• Dhyan Chand was the first Hockey superstar who won gold medals in Amsterdam, Los Angeles and Berlin Olympic games.

• He was known for his superb dribbling skills and ball control, which earned him the title of the hockey wizard.

• During his play time there were no teams competent enough to defeat India in hockey. The victory margins for India were also very high.

• Netherlands were beaten 3-0 in 1928 Amsterdam Olympics final. In the 1932 Olympics final, India defeated United States with a margin of 24-1.

• Germany was defeated 8-1 in the finals of 1936 Berlin Olympics final. Dhyan Chand had scored 33 goals in his 12 Olympic appearances.

 

Incidents associated with Dhyan Chand

• The hockey in those days was played on natural grass with lots of bumps, making it difficult for players to control the ball.

• The ability of Dhyan Chand to control ball with such precision aroused doubts in officials. His hockey stick was broken and checked.

 

Significance of Dhyan Chand

• The ability of an Indian to dominate a game invented by Europeans created a sense of pride for Indians. The feeling of inferior vanished after seeing Europeans suffering drubbing at the hands of Indians.

• Hockey was the only sport India dominated at the world level. India won 7 out of 8 gold medals in continuous Olympics games since 1928.

• Without Hockey, India could not even win a medal in any sport till 1952 when KD Jadhav won bronze in Helsinki.

• There was a strong demand for awarding Bharat Ratna posthumously to Dhyan Chand but was instead given to Sachin Tendulkar.

 

Recognition for Dhyan Chand

• Dhyan Chand’s birthday on August 29^th is celebrated as National Sports Day. Lifetime achievement award in sports is named after Major Dhyan Chand.

• National stadium in New Delhi is named after Dhyan Chand. He was also given the third highest civilian award in the country, the Padma Bhushan.

 

Significance of renaming the award

• The renaming is an apt recognition for one of the sporting legends of the country. This comes after Indian Hockey team won bronze medal in Tokyo after 41 years.

• The honour can inspire a generation to look upto the legend and strive hard to bring back the glory that hockey deserves in future years.