Explained: The importance of Dhyan Chand for Indian sport
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Dhyan Chand was the first superstar of hockey, considered a wizard or magician of the game.
By Tushar Bhaduri
Dhyan Chand during the 1936 Olympic semi-final against France. (Wikimedia Commons)
The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award will now be named after Dhyan Chand. This rechristening of the country’s highest sporting honour after one of the country’s legendary names could be termed political one-upmanship or a decision that didn’t come a day too soon, depending on the way one looks at it. But what can’t be denied is the emotional resonance Dhyan Chand’s name carries and what he meant for Indian hockey, and Indian sports in general.