Dhyan (Singh) Chand (1905 - 1979)

Born 29 Aug 1905 in Allahabad, British India

Died 3 Dec 1979 at age 74 in New Delhi, Delhi, India

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Biography

Dhyan (Singh) Chand is Notable.

Dhyan Chand was an Indian field hockey player, known as "The Wizard" for his superb ball control and extraordinary goal-scoring feats. He is regarded by many as the greatest field hockey player of all time.

Dhyan was born Dhyan Singh, 29 Aug 1905, in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh. He was the son of Sharadha and Sameshwar Chand. He had two younger brothers, Mool and Roop. His family belonged to the Rajput caste. He was later given the name of Dhyan Chand due to his tendency to practice hockey under the light of the moon.

Due to his father's career in the military, the family moved frequently, which interfered with Dhyan 's studies and he had to terminate his education after Class Six. Eventually, the family settled in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, India, where Dhyan 's father was granted a small piece of land for a house.

Uttar Pradesh, India

In 1922, at sixteen years of age, Dhyan joined the Indian Army as a Sepoy in Delhi's First Battalion of the Brahmin Regiment. It was there that Dhyan learned the game of field hockey. From 1922 to 1926, Dhyan regularly represented his regiment in army events.

In 1928, Dhyan was Anyway, the IHF got to send a team for the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics. Dhyan was selected as a member of India's first ever Olympic hockey team. On 10 Mar 1928, Dhyan and his teammates set sail on a three-week voyage to the Amsterdam Olympic Games aboard the ship Kaiser-i-Hind. On May 29, the Indian team lined up to receive their Olympic gold medals - the first Olympic gold medals won by an Asia nation in the modern Olympics. Dhyan would again lead his team to Olympic gold in the 1932 games in Los Angeles, and the 1936 games in Berlin.

On 30 May 1932, Dylan and the 16-member Indian Olympic team set sail for Singapore on the N. Y. K. Haruna MaruIn. According to the ship's manifest, Dhyan was living in Jhansi, where he served as a major in the Indian Army. At age 24, he was described as 5 feet 6 1/2 inches tall, with a dark complexion, black hair and brown eyes. He had a scar in his left forehead.^[1] In 1934, Dhyan reached an important milestone in his career when he was appointed captain of the Indian team.

Dhyan married Janaki Devi just before the 1936 Olympics. However, when he departed from Adelaide, South Australia, Australia, in 1935, he was listed as widowed.^[2] Dylan and Janaki had eleven children, seven sons and four daughters, including:

• Brij Mohan Singh, who represented his state in the nationals and eventually become a government sporting official.
• Vidya Devi
• Sohan Singh, who became a field hockey coach.
• Raj Kumar, an athlete
• Rajkumari
• Ashok Kumar, who scored the goal that won India the 1975 Field Hockey World Cup. He also won a bronze medal in the 1972 Munich Olympics, and a bronze and silver in the 1971 and 1973 World Cup tournaments respectively.
• Asha
• Umesh Kumar, who played for Indian Airlines, and toured Argentina with the Airlines team.
• Usha Singh, played for Indian Airlines and also for Bengal.
• Devendra Singh
• Virendra Singh.

In 1956. the Government of India awarded Dhyan the third highest (then second highest) civilian honor of Padma Bhushan in 1956.

Dhyan passed away in 1979. His birthday (August 29th) is now celebrated as National Sports Day in India.

Sources

1. ↑ Passenger List: "California, Los Angeles Passenger Lists, 1907-1948"
   citing Affiliate Publication Title: Index to passenger lists of vessels arriving at San Pedro/Wilmington/Los Angeles, California; Affiliate Publication Number: M1763; Affiliate Film Number: Roll 1; Record number: 0;
   FamilySearch Record: C11B-N9MM (accessed 3 January 2023)
   FamilySearch Image: 3Q9M-C9BY-X9QY-K Image number 06059
   Name: Dhyan Chand; Immigration Date: 1932; Immigration Place: Los Angeles, California, United States; Nationality: Britain; Birth Date: 1908; Birth Place: Allahabad, India; Age: 24.
2. ↑ Passenger List: "South Australia, Australia, Incoming and Outgoing Passenger Lists, 1845-1940"
   State Records of South Australia; Gebbs Cross, South Australia, Australia; Lists of Outgoing Passengers Departing from Port Adelaide for Overseas Ports-1888-1940; Series: GRG41_35
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 62304 #574711 (accessed 3 January 2023)
   Name: Dhyan Chand; Gender: Male; Race: British (English); Nationality: British; Marital Status: Widowed; Departure Age: 28; Record Type: Departure; Birth Date: abt 1907; Departure Date: 1935; Departure Place: Adelaide, South Australia, Australia; Destination: Colombo; Travel Ship: Moreton Bay; Occupation: Army; Others Listed (Name): Dhyan Chand.

• Wikipedia entry for Dhyan Chand

• Bhushan, Niket. Dhyan Chand - The Legend Lives On (Wiley Eastern Ltd., 1992) Available online at: Indian Field Hockey Homepage.

Acknowledgements

This profile has been contributed to by the members of the WikiTree 15 Nations Global Tour of 2023