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India

ABHAYA SRIVASTAVA
The nation today celebrated the 100th birth anniversary of wizard Dhyan Chand, one of the world's greatest ever players who not only gave India three Olympic medals but took hockey artistry to a sublime level to still remain a source of inspiration for the new generation of players.

A player whose mere mention sent rivals scuttling for cover when he weaved magic with the stick in the pre- independence era, Dhyan Chand was remembered by his ten children who organised a special family reunion in Jhansi, where the legend spent most of his life.

Here in the capital, an exhibition match was held between a developmental side and the seniors to mark his birthday which is also celebrated every year as ther National Sports Day.

The Arjuna Awards are also conferred on this very date every year and that this time it coincided with the birth centenary year, made it all the special for ace forward Deepak Thakur.

"I am doubly thrilled to receive this honour as today is Dhyan Chand's birthday," said Deepak after he collected the Award from President A P J Abdul Kalam.

Thakur said it had been Dhyan Chand's unfulfilled dream to win a Champions Trophy at home and the Indian team would give its best when the country hosts the elite tournament in Chennai in December. "The team has not performed well of late, but there are ups and downs in every game. We will try to put behind our disappointments and give our best shot in the Champions Trophy," he said.

There could not be a better tribute for Dhyan Chand in his birth centenary year than a victory in the Champions Trophy but for that the team would have to exorcise the demons within and without.

And if the team is looking for inspiration in these difficult times, what better role model than Dhyan Chand who, legends say could take on the entire opposition single handedly when he scorched the field in the 1920s and 30s.

Legend has it that after seeing him play at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, Adolf Hitler offered him the post of major in the British Indian army and a German citizenship, although it is another matter that the Indian refused the offers outrightly.

It is said there were attempts to break his stick in Holland to check if there was a magnet inside and in Japan they wanted to see if there was glue inside the stick because the ball appeared to get stuck to his stick.

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