The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, the highest sporting honour of India, has been renamed Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Friday. The renaming recognises the ultimate hockey hero and legend of the sport, Dhyan Chand.
The Prime Minister said the move was based on the numerous requests he received from across the nation.
“I have been getting many requests from citizens across India to name the Khel Ratna Award after Major Dhyan Chand. I thank them for their views. Respecting their sentiment, the Khel Ratna Award will hereby be called the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award!” he tweeted.
The Khel Ratna award was instituted in 1991-1992 and the first recipient was Chess legend Viswanathan Anand. The now renamed Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award comes with a cash prize of Rs 25 lakh. Among the other winners were Leander Paes, Sachin Tendulkar, Dhanraj Pillay, Pullela Gopichand, Abhinav Bindra, Anju Bobby George, Mary Kom and Rani Rampal in 2020.
The change comes at a time India’s hockey teams have captivated the imagination of the nation with their performance at the Toyko Olympics.
The women’s hockey team today narrowly missed out on a bronze medal drawing curtains on its spirited show at the Olympics. Yesterday, the men’s hockey team won an Olympic bronze after a wait of 41 years.
Known as The Wizard, Major Dhyan Chand, a field hockey player, played international hockey from 1926 to 1949, scroing over 400 goals in his career.
During his childhood days, Dhyan Chand loved wrestling and had no particular interest in the sport as such.
Born in Allahabad, Dhyan Chand was part of the Olympic team that won gold medals in 1928, 1932 and 1936.
Practicing with the stick during the night after his duty hours, Dhyan earned himself the name of ‘Dhyan Chand’. For the unversed, Chand in Hindi means Moon. India won field hockey events in seven out of eight Olympics from 1928-1964 much due to the influence and platform set by the legendary player.
The Wizard scored a mammoth 570 goals in 185 matches, as per his autobiography Goal.
Several reports mention that Dhyan Chand was offered German citizenship by then German dictator Adolf Hitler. However, he declined the offer.
The Govt of India awarded Chand India’s third-highest civilian honour of Padma Bhushan in the year 1956. He had also retired from his service at the army in the same year.
Commending the decision, former hockey skipper Ajitpal Singh said, “It’s a welcome move. It’s a good decision which the Prime Minister has taken. Sports awards should always be in the name of sportspersons and there is no bigger sportsperson in the country other than Dhyanchand ji. The recognition came late but better late than never.”
