#ProudIndian
Major Dhyan Chand, born in 1905 in Allahabad, was a legendary hockey player known for his incredible stick work and ball control. He joined the army at 17 and developed an interest in the sport. Despite hockey not being India's national sport, his outstanding skills made many people believe that it originated in India.
Event: Berlin Olympics Year: 1936
The Indian team had great players including Ali Dara, Ahmad Khan and Dhyan Chand. India's first match was against Germany. They lost by 4-1. This left a huge impact on Chand. He could not sleep that night. He even mentioned,” As long as I live, I shall never forget this match, or get over the shock of this defeat, which still rankles me.”
The loss against Germany inspired them. Hence, a series of wins followed.
Here are the scores of the consequent matches:
Against Hungary: 4-0
Against USA: 7-0
Against Japan: 9-0
India played against Germany in the Final Match. After the first half, India was leading with a 1-0 score. Hitler ordered to make the pitch wet to create resistance against India, but Major Dhyan Chand played barefoot. India won the match with a score of 4-1. Hitler requested Dhyan Chand to join the German army and hockey team, but he refused saying he would only play and die for India.
Source: https://www.storypick.com/hitler-and-major-dhyan-chand/ and Quora
Now, the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award has been changed and named after Dhyan Chand which according to me is great. Major Dhyan Chand has not yet been awarded ‘The Bharat Ratna' which seems unfair and there were many requests from Indians to do so.
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Original Post by @protegeofthedarklord
