Known as the ‘Wizard or The Magician of Hockey’ for his excellent ball control, Major Dhyan Chand is one of the greatest hockey players in the history of the sport. Here are some fascinating facts about the life of this hickey genius.
The Hockey Legend
In 2020, we celebrated his 115th birth anniversary as the National Sports day in India. Major Dhyan Chand was born on 29th August 1905 and helped India win Olympic Gold Medals for hockey in 1928, 1932, and 1936.
Stint in the army
Dhyan Chand joined the Indian army when he was 16 years old and took retirement in 1956. Adolf Hitler was so impressed by his hockey skills that he offered Major Dhyan Chand a rank of Colonel in the army and German citizenship.
The Germany adventures
He won many hearts in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. The city of Berlin welcomed Dhyan Chand with posters, ‘Visit the hockey stadium to watch the Indian magician DhyanChand in action’. Furthermore, in the final match against Germany, Berlin he removed his spiked shoes and played barefoot in the second half and scored three goals.
When he could not score a goal
It documented that once Dhyan Chand was not able to score a goal against the opposition. After numerous attempts, he got frustrated and challenged the referee regarding the measurement of the goal post. To everyone’s surprise, the goal post was not in accordance with the international rules.
Recognitions for the hockey legend
Dhyan Chand is the only Hockey player to feature on an Indian stamp. The Government of India in an attempt to pay respect to the hockey legend issued a commemorative postage stamp in his name. in 2002, the National Stadium in Delhi was also renamed as Dhyan Chand National Stadium. Even the Indian Gymkhana Club in London’s Astroturf hockey pitch is named after the hockey legend.
Hockey legend loved to fish
In his autobiography titled “My Golden Days”, former captain and Olympic goldmedallistGurbux Singh mentioned that Dhyan Chand was very fond of fishing. He quoted an incident where Dhyan Chand took his huge fishing rod at the airport and everyone was astonished. It is mentioned that he used to quietly catch a fish sitting in his shorts and would cook his catch himself later sharing it with friends.
Dhyan Singh became Dhyan Chand as he used to practice hockey under the moonlight. The award for lifetime achievement in sports in India is rightly named the ‘Dhyan Chand Award’.
