Major Dhyan Chand was an Indian field hockey player, widely regarded as one of the greatest field hockey players in history.
35 Facts About Dhyan Chand
2.
Dhyan Chand was known for his extraordinary ball control and goal-scoring feats, in addition to earning three Olympic gold medals, in 1928,1932 and 1936, during an era where India dominated field hockey.
3.
Dhyan Chand's influence extended beyond these victories, as India won the field hockey event in seven out of eight Olympics from 1928 to 1964.
4.
Dhyan Chand was born in Allahabad on 29 August 1905 in a Rajput family to Sharadha Singh and Sameshwar Singh.
5.
Dhyan Chand's father was enlisted in the British Indian Army, where he played hockey for the army.
6.
Dhyan Chand studied at the Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh and finally graduated from Victoria College, Gwalior in 1932.
7.
Young Dhyan Chand had no serious inclination towards sports though he loved wrestling.
8.
Dhyan Chand stated that he did not remember whether he played any hockey worth mentioning before he joined the Army, though he said that he occasionally indulged in casual games in Jhansi with his friends.
9.
Between 1922 and 1926, Dhyan Chand exclusively played army hockey tournaments and regimental games.
10.
Dhyan Chand was ultimately selected for the Indian Army team which was to tour New Zealand.
11.
Dhyan Chand got permission from the Army to play for the United Provinces team.
12.
Dhyan Chand's penetrating runs and judicious passes seemed to assure him a position in the team that is to take part in the Olympic Games.
13.
Early in the game, it became evident that Dhyan Chand was at his best.
14.
The Indian team's better players Feroze Khan, Ali Shaukat and Kher Singh were on the sick list and Dhyan Chand himself was ill.
15.
Dhyan Chand was the top scorer of the tournament, with 14 goals in 5 matches.
16.
Later, the authorities in the Netherlands in fact broke Dhyan Chand's hockey stick to check if there was any magnet inside owing to his superb ball control ability.
17.
Dhyan Chand received news that he had been selected by the IHF for the Olympic team without any formalities.
18.
Dhyan Chand scored 8 times, Roop Singh 10, Gurmit Singh 5, and Pinniger once.
19.
When Moinuddin Khanji, the Nawab of Manavadar declined to play, Dhyan Chand was appointed captain.
20.
Dhyan Chand was again denied permission to leave his platoon, though he was selected without formalities.
21.
Newspaper reports for the match stated that Dhyan Chand scored four goals, while he claimed he scored three, in his autobiography Goal, with Ali Dara scoring two, and Roop Singh, Carlyle Tapsell and Sayed Jaffar with one goal each.
22.
Dhyan Chand discarded his spiked shoes and stockings and played with bare legs and rubber soles and became speedier in the second half.
23.
On 9 April 1943, Dhyan Chand received an emergency commission as a second lieutenant in the 14th Punjab Regiment, with the war-substantive rank of lieutenant from the same date.
24.
Towards the closing phases of the war, Dhyan Chand led an army hockey team which toured around the battlefields in Manipur, Burma, the Far East and Ceylon.
25.
The ASA made a condition that Dhyan Chand should be included in the team.
26.
Dhyan Chand continued to hold his emergency commission in the Indian Army post-Independence, with the service number IEC 3526, but was apparently not granted a regular commission.
27.
Dhyan Chand spent his last days in his hometown of Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, India.
28.
Dhyan Chand died on 3 December 1979 from liver cancer at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi.
29.
Dhyan Chand was cremated at the Jhansi Heroes ground in his hometown, after some initial problems in getting clearance.
30.
Dhyan Chand remains a legendary figure in Indian and world hockey.
31.
Dhyan Chand's skills have been glorified in various apocryphal stories and anecdotes.
32.
Dhyan Chand scored over 1000 goals in his entire domestic and international career, from 1926 to 1948, making him the highest goal scorer in Hockey history.
33.
Dhyan Chand remains the only Indian hockey player to have a stamp in his honour.
34.
Dhyan Chand was among the nominees considered for India's highest civilian award, Bharat Ratna, for 2014 and there was support for it.
35.
The family members of Dhyan Chand were disappointed with the government's decision.