National Sports Day: Will Dhyan Chand ever get a Bharat Ratna?

New Delhi: His name adorns the country's highest sports award, his birthday August 29 is celebrated as National Sports Day, and many stadiums across India stand in his honour.

But despite all the appeals, RTIs, and public movements, the Bharat Ratna continues to elude the hockey wizard Major Dhyan Chand.

In 2021, the Centre renamed the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna as Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award. But many wonder, why despite the public sentiment the country's highest civilian honour continues to elude the man who put Indian hockey on the world map.

Hockey India president and three-time Olympian Dilip Tirkey led a movement at Jantar Mantar in 2016 with this demand and also raised the matter in Parliament, but every attempt failed.

"Dhyanchand was the greatest player in the world in his time. I always say that hockey is the sport which got us out first Olympic gold medals and Major Dhyan Chand's contribution is incomparable," Tirkey told PTI Bhasha.

"If the country's biggest sports award is named after him, the National Stadium is named after him, then why not he is given a Bharat Ratna." Dhyan Chand, who was the architect of gold medals in three consecutive Olympics (Amsterdam 1928, Los Angeles 1932 and Berlin 1936), put India's strong presence on the world sports map for the first time.

He also holds the record of scoring the most goals (570 in 185 matches) in the history of the sport.

His son, Ashok Dhyan Chand, a member of the Indian team that won the only World Cup in 1975, said his father never promoted himself and he is proud of it.

"He was the first to put India on the world sporting map. Even 46 years after his death, his name is echoing today and this is called the legacy of a great player. I am proud of him for always staying away from publicity." He was awarded the country's third highest civilian award Padma Bhushan in 1956 but repeatedly ignored for Bharat Ratna.

In November 2013, the Manmohan Singh-led Government conferred the Bharat Ratna on Sachin Tendulkar, making the cricket maestro the first and only sportsperson to receive it.

"Despite being such a great sportsperson, my father saw very bad days but he did not give up his self-respect. He could never even think of asking for an award for himself. Seeing the condition of the house, we wanted to apply for a gas agency in 1977-78 but he refused to sign it," recalled Ashok.

"He always used to say that it is the government's job to see what I have done. We will not beg from anyone." "So much work is being done for sports now and it is the high time to show that the legends of the past are not forgotten." In 2016, several Olympians including Ashok Kumar, Ajit Pal Singh, Zafar Iqbal, Ajay Bansal, and AB Subbaiah joined Tirkey at Jantar Mantar.

Renowned sand artist Sudarshan Patnaik also created sand art demanding Bharat Ratna for Dhyan Chand.

Tirkey, then a BJD MP, raised the issue in the Rajya Sabha on May 5, 2016 and submitted a memorandum signed by over 100 MPs, but their "efforts failed".

"On behalf of the entire hockey community, I request the government to give Bharat Ratna to Major Dhyan Chand in view of his contribution to Indian sports," Tirkey said.

According to the 1954 rules, Bharat Ratna was originally limited to art, literature, science and public service but in December 2011 the rules were amended to "any field of human endeavour" thus making the sportspersons eligible.

On December 22, 2011, the then Indian Hockey Federation also made a recommendation to the Centre.

A delegation led by cricketer Bishan Singh Bedi met the then Sports Minister Jitendra Singh in 2013 and reiterated this request.

Then in August 2014, the then Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju told the Lok Sabha that his ministry had recommended Dhyan Chand's name for Bharat Ratna but the result was the same.

In the last 10 years, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya (2015), Pranab Mukherjee, Bhupen Hazarika, Nanaji Deshmukh (2019), Karpoori Thakur, LK Advani, PV Narasimha Rao, Chaudhary Charan Singh and MS Swaminathan (2024) have been awarded the Bharat Ratna.

Even after so many years and so many efforts, the wait for Bharat Ratna for the magician of hockey is not ending and the hope seems to be fading away.