National Sports Day 2024: Interesting Facts About India's Hockey Wizard Major Dhyan Chand

You go ask around, and you’d still get - he is still the greatest Indian hockey player of all time.

If you’ve heard stories about him, you might imagine a wizard with a hockey stick, with astonishing skills.

For some, he was an artist, using his stick as a paint brush.

To sum it all up in a sentence, Major Dhyan Chand was truly special. 

He was born on August 29, 1905, in Allahabad to Sharadha Singh and Sameshwar Singh. He joined the army at the age of 16 and nurtured his love for hockey.

The love for the sport grew, and developed into something so big, that it was instrumental in India’s three consecutive Olympic gold medal victories in 1928, 1932, and 1936. 

In 2012, the Indian government declared Major Dhyan Chand’s birthday as National Sports Day to recognise his achievements, and contributions to Indian sports.

Here we look at the interesting facts about Major Dhyan Chand

1. Dhyan Singh joined the Indian Army at 16, and continued his hockey practice after he was drawn into the sport at a young age.

His relentless training sessions at night earned him the name Chand, after his teammates started to address him the same way.

2. During a hockey match, Dhyan Chand was unable to find the back of the net even after several attempts.

He was not happy and asked the officials to measure the size of the goalpost. Surprisingly, it was found that the official width of the post was not in line with the international rules. 

3. Dhyan Chand’s hockey stick was once broken by the Netherlands authorities to check if there was a magnet after the sheer amount of goals he scored, having mastered the sport beyond belief. 

4. In 1935, when the Indian hockey team was in Australia, Dhyan Chand met Australian batting legend Don Bradman in Adelaide, and after witnessing his game, Bradman was impressed and awed with his stick-work.

5. According to several reports, Adolf Hitler, who was impressed by Dhyan Chand’s ability to go about his business in hockey, offered him the rank of a colonel in the German army, but Chand rejected the offer.

6. In the 1932 Summer Olympics, India beat the USA 24-1, and Japan 11-1. Dhyan Chand and Roop Singh netted 25 goals and were called hockey twins ever since. 

Major Dhyan Chand represented India in 185 games, and scored over 400 goals.