National Sports Day

National Sports Day is celebrated annually on August 29, to commemorate the birth anniversary of Major Dhyan Chand Singh, the “Wizard of Hockey”. He is globally remembered as the greatest hockey player in history. Major Dhyan Chand won 3 Olympic gold medals in 1928, 1932 and 1936. In 1956, the Indian government awarded him the Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian honour. The Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award, which was named in honour of Major Dhyan Chand, is the highest sporting honour in India. Earlier, this award was known as the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna. 

Dhyan Chand Singh was born as Dhyan Singh on August 29, 1905, in modern-day Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. He gained popularity in the field of hockey before India’s Independence. He started his hockey career while serving under the British Indian Army in the regimental team. Although Dhyan Chand was exceptionally skilled at hockey, his stand-out feature was his dedication to the sport. Because he was serving in the British Indian Army, he spent most of his day performing his duties. It was only during the night that he could devote time to his passion. He spent hours practising hockey under the moonlight, which earned him the title “Chand”, meaning moon in Hindi. 

He went on to become the greatest hockey legend in the world, with a hockey career spanning from 1926 to 1948. Throughout his life, he scored over 400 goals and represented India in 185 hockey matches. He received the Padma Bhushan the same year he retired.