National Sports Day
Introduction:
National Sports Day in India is celebrated on 29th August annually. It is the birth anniversary of Field Hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand Singh. The day had been designated as the ‘Indian National Sports Day ‘ for the first time in 2012.
About Dhyan Chand:
He is best known as the ‘ Hockey Wizard ‘ for his scoring feats and trickery with ball. He is often referred to as the ‘ Father of Indian Sports’. He was born on 29th August,1905 in Prayag in Uttar Pradesh .His father Someshwar Singh was a British-Indian Army and mother’s name was Sharada Singh. His real name was Dhyan Singh.The middle name ‘Chand’ was given by his fellow players for practising hockey in moonlight.
Dhyan Chand studied up to 5th Standard. He had to close schooling for his father’s frequent transfer in service. They finally settled in Jhanshi. Chosen towards hockey ,he picked up the stick. He registered himself in the Army at the age of 16. He continued Hockey , his favourite sports there. He joined the Indian Army in 1922 and showed notabilities when the Indian Army team toured New Zealand in 1926.
Achievements of Dhyan Chand:
He is most remembered for three consecutive Olympic Gold Medals in 1928, 1932 and 1936. In 1936 he was captain of the team. He retired from the Army in 1956 as the rank of Major. The Govt. of India honoured him by conferring the “Padmabhusan” Award in 1956. The “Dhyan Chand Award” is the highest Sporting Award in India. It is given annually as the life time achievements in Sports and Games on his birthday by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports .
“Goal”–An Autobiography was written by Dhyan Chand. He mentioned in the book of his scoring 570 goals in 185 International matches and 1000 goals in entire domestic and international arena. Dhyan Chand’s hockey journey ended when he died from liver cancer on 3rd December,1979.
Importance of the day:
So to pay tribute to this legendary sport personality, his birthday is celebrated pompously as the National Sports Day in India. The main motto for observing National Sports Day is to give support and encourage sports activities among the youth of the country. On this day, National Sports Awards Ceremony is organized where various players, athletes, individuals and teams are presented for getting rewards for their contribution to sports.