From Olympics to World Cup, to Wimbledon, every game has its moments, that still brings several emotions out from general spectators. To honour the national sports teams and sports traditions of different countries, National Sports Day is celebrated across the entire world, on different dates honoring each of the country’s national sports. India celebrates the day on 29th August, as National Sports Day; while, Iran celebrates with a holiday on 17th October named as ‘Physical Education & Sport Day’; again, Japan has been hoisting the ‘Health and Sports Day’ on 10th October, from 1966; and there are many more places that celebrates honoring each sport and its contribution.
The National Sports Day in India, on 29th August, is coined from the India’s hockey legend Dhyan Chand’s birth anniversary. Hockey, once considered be a national sport of India, came to be popular after Dhyan Chand represented the Indian side, still under the British Rule. Born to Sharadha Singh and Sameshwar Singh, on 29th August 1905, Dhyan Singh and one of his brothers Roop Singh inherited the game from their father who played for the British Indian Army.
Having as such no definite intention of pursuing hockey, he was more keen towards wrestling. However, on his 17th birthday he joined the British Indian Army as a Sepoy. During the span of 1922 and 1926, he started playing army hockey tournaments and regimental games. His dedication towards the game, and his rigorous practices during nighttime, in absence of floodlights, earned him the name ‘Chand’ from his teammates, which literally translates into ‘Moon’ in Hindi.
He went on to redefine Hockey, when he was sent to represent India, in the 1928 Olympic Games, in Amsterdam. There he played 5 matches and scored 14 goals, which eventually led to India winning its first Olympic Gold medal, and Chand becoming the top scorer of the tournament along with the name ‘the wizard or the magician of hockey’. Playing as the center-forward, and with his clever stick-work and dribbles garnered much attention, and his skills helped India, clinch two more consecutive Gold Medals in the next two Olympics; one in 1932 Los Angles, and the other one being in Berlin, in 1936.
He served for the British and the Indian Army, after Independence, for 34 years, and was honoured by the Government of India, with Padma Bhusan on the same year of 1956. As a Hockey player, he has more than 400 goals to his name, enchanting many in his tremendous spells on the field, and till date is remembered as one of the greatest hockey players in the history of the sport. He spent his last days in his hometown Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, before concluding his journey on 3rd December, 1979, at the age of 74.
Honoring him, on his birth anniversary, India celebrates Nation Sports Day, when the President of India, gives away sports-related awards like, Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, Dronacharya Award, Arjuna Award etc, to sportsmen still making the nation proud on varied levels. Be it Chand almost a century ago, or modern day sports heroes we follow with so much devotion, sports remain the bond that connects across the borders, and there can be no better joy, than to celebrate each of these games, regardless of their origin, and let it inspire the generations to come.
