National Sports Day 2022: How India celebrates the birth anniversary of ‘Hockey Wizard’ Major Dhyan Chand-Sports News , Firstpost

File image of Indian hockey icon Dhyan Chand. Twitter

Sports play a key role in the development of the physical and mental health of a person. In India, there have been many sportspersons who have scripted their names in global history and hockey wizard Major Dhyan Chand certainly occupies the first row. National Sports Day or Rashtriya Khel Divas is celebrated nationwide annually on 29 August as a tribute to the Indian hockey legend on his birth anniversary.

India will commemorate Dhyan Chand’s 117th birth anniversary and 10 years of the first National Sports Day celebration this year. This special day also encourages more participation in sports from the youth of the country.

Major Dhyan Chand and history of National Sports Day:

Dhyan Chand was a true sports enthusiast who gained inspiration from Subedar Major Tiwari who oversaw him when he first began playing hockey first time for the British Indian Army’s regimental squad. It was believed that if a ball could find his stick, Dhyan Chand would never fail to find the net. He was the centre of attraction for the Indian hockey team that achieved three straight Olympic gold medals in the years 1928, 1932, and 1936. In 1936, he was also chosen as the captain of the Indian hockey team and led the side to finish atop the podium in the Berlin Olympics.

For his immense contribution to the Indian hockey team, Dhyan Chand was awarded the prestigious Padma Bhusan, the third-largest civilian honour in the country, by the Indian Government in 1956. In an effort to honour such a renowned sportsman, the government chose to designate his birthday as National Sports Day in 2012.

Significance of National Sports Day:

National Sports Day is widely observed on a national scale. Every year, the official commemoration is held in the Rashtrapati Bhavan, where the President of India honours the best players in the nation with the National Sports Awards. Awards like the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award, Arjuna Award, and Dronacharya Award are presented to current and former sportsmen.

After his death in 1979, the Indian Postal Department paid respect to the hockey legend by issuing special stamps in his honour. The National Stadium of Delhi has also been renamed Major Dhyan Chand Stadium as a homage to him.

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