“It’s not the responsibility of my country to take me forward but it’s my responsibility to take my country forward.”, that’s what he said when Hitler asked him to play for Germany.
Dhyan Chand, a hockey hero in India, is widely regarded as one of the sport’s all-time greats.
Even a tyrant like Adolf Hitler was won over by Major Dhyan Chand, who brought fame to India and won the hearts of millions throughout the world, including him.
Major Dhyan Chand is still revered as hockey’s all-time great and is celebrated in several Sports Journal.
He had a method for removing his opponents’ perspiration. The fact that he was a player on par with Ronaldo and Messi in soccer, Mohammed Ali in boxing, Sachin Tendulkar in cricket, and Bruce Lee in martial arts tells you something about his excellence.
Dhyan Chand, the star of the Indian hockey squad that dominated the sport before World War II, was instrumental in India’s three straight Olympic gold medal wins in 1928, 1932, and 1936.
When Dhyan Chand mastered the game, he acquired the nicknames “Hockey Wizard” and “The Magician.”
Dhyan Chand took up hockey seriously while serving in the British Indian Army, and he played in several army hockey competitions and regimental games between 1922 and 1926.
Amsterdam Olympics (1928)
The 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam would feature the Indian team. Major Dhyan Chand, who was only 23 years old at the time, was also chosen for the Indian hockey squad.
And at the Olympics, the Indian team played four games and scored 23 goals, which allowed them to win the gold medal.
A newspaper report about India’s triumph said:
This is not a game of hockey, but magic. Dhyan Chand is in fact the magician of hockey.
Los Angeles Olympics (1932)
Captained by Major Dhyan Chand in 1932, the Indian hockey team achieved international acclaim.
A second Gold Medal and One Los Angeles newspaper wrote,
“The All-India field hockey team which G. D. Sondhi brought to Los Angeles to defend their 1928 Olympic title, was like a typhoon out of the east. They trampled under their feet and all but shoved out of the Olympic stadium the eleven players representing the United States.”
Berlin Olympics (1936)
Adolf Hitler was so surprised by seeing Major Dhyanchand playing and beat Germany in Berlin Olympics that he offers him German Citizenship and a Colonel post in the German Army, which he respectfully rejects.
Hitler offered Major Dhyan Chand money if he would play for Germany, but the general declined, saying,
“It’s not the job of my nation to take me ahead, but it’s my obligation to take my country forward.”
Achievements
With three Gold Medals in the Olympics, at 43, he retired from the Indian Army and was given the Padma Bhushan Award.
It’s a well-known fact in India that his birthday is observed as National Sports Day of India.
Dhyanchand received the Arjuna Award, the Guru Dronacharya Award, and the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna for his achievements. At addition to that, a statue of him was erected in a Vienna sports club.
Major Dhyanchand Stadium is an Indian national football stadium in Delhi.
In 1999, Major Dhyan chand was awarded Hockey’s Player of the Century.
After he retired, he became a coach and instructor at Mount Abu, Rajasthan’s, coaching camps. Later on, he assumed the role of Chief Hockey Coach at the National Institute of Sports, Patiala, which he held for several years. Chand spent his final days at Jhansi, his birthplace in Uttar Pradesh, India.
Legacy
The Government of India’s Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award bears his name to honor his contributions to Indian sports. The Sports Ministry awards this prize annually to India’s top international performance.
Dhyan Chand Award: A lifetime achievement award is given in honor of Dhyanchand.
