India Sports Day Celebrations: The birthday of the legendary Hockey player Shri Dhyan Chand is celebrated in India as the National Sports Day. Major Dhyan Chand Singh was born on August 29, in Allahabad. His contribution to the field of team hockey is inscribed in History in Golden Letters. A magnificent and wizard like ‘center-forward’, Dhyan Chand is hugely and eternally remembered for his goal making feats. His rigor and obstinate passion for the field saw him bring 3 Gold Medals to India from the Olympics held in 1928, 1932 and 1936.
A keen ‘wrestling’ enthusiast, Dhyan Chand was never interested in sports. He joined army at a rather young age, and his skill in the game was recognized by Subedar Major Bale Tiiwari, who started coaching Dhyan Chand in the technicalities of the game. Dhyan Chand’s expertise in the field saw him participating in the number of hockey matches and winning almost all of them. Dhyan Chand was instrumental in making the Indian Team win in Army Hockey Tournaments held in New Zealand. Out of 18 matches held, India won 17. Dhyan Chand who was representing the United Province Hockey team finally made it to the Olympics held in 1928 (Amsterdam), there has been no looking back for the maestro ever since.
A team comprising the hockey twins Dhyan Singh and Roop Singh (his brother) was hard to beat. Dhyan Chand made magical goals leaving no room for the opponent. His name and fame spread across the continent and world like wildfire. Dhyan Chand grew along the hierarchical echelons in the military and was conferred encomiums of prestige like Major and Padma Bhushan. Dhyan Chand started coaching hockey aspirants at National Institute of Sports, Patiala until the light of his life faded away. The legend was cremated at the Jhansi Heroes ground, in his hometown.
Even today the name of the doyen reverberates in the nooks and corners of the subcontinent. The fame he brought to the country is unparalleled. Every year on the day when Dhyan Chand was born the President of India distributes prestigious sports awards such as ‘Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award’, ‘Dronacharya’ and ‘Arjuna’ awards at the Rashtrapathi Bhwan.
Arjuna Award is a prestigious award conferred upon a disciplined and committed sports personality of India. The award comprises a cash prize of INR 5, 00,000, a statuette of Arjuna and a scroll. Preeja Sreedharan wins the Arjuna Award for 2011 in the domain of athletics.
Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award is the highest achievement conferred upon great performance in sports. The award comprises a cash prize of INR 7, 50,000 and a citation. The award was bagged by Gagan Narang for the year 2010-2011 in the domain of shooting.
Dronacharya Award is a prestigious award conferred upon the coaches of sports. The award comprises a cash component of INR 5, 00,000 a bronze statuette of ‘Dronacharya’ and a citation of honor. The award was won by L lbomcha Singh for the year 2010 in the domain of boxing.
Besides all the coveted prize distribution ceremonies, the National Sports Day of India is celebrated across the country in fervent patriotic zeal. Sports events are conducted everywhere. Schools participate in and conduct sports’ competitions with enthusiasm. Hockey matches are run commemorating the zeal of the legend Dhyan Singh. Hockey matches are conducted primarily in the provinces of Punjab and Gujarat.
Dhyan Chand’s spirit for performance is something that all the sports enthusiasts should imbibe. This spirit has inscribed golden accolades over the subcontinent. The spirit should last eternally. I hope this article enlightens many an Indian who aspire to make an indelible impact over the domain of sport they belong to.
Wishing all the sportsmen astounding success!!
Happy National Sports Day!
Read More: http://howindia.com/national-sports-day-celebrations-in-india/2011/08/#ixzz1WOIFUAdd
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