Don’t link Dhyan Chand to awards

Shashank Shekhar

On Wednesday, a group of about 500 hockey lovers held a protest rally in the Capital to demand the Bharat Ratna for hockey legend Dhyan Chand. A memorandum was also submitted at the Prime Minister’s office in this regard.

This was the latest episode in the ongoing fight by a dedicated bunch of hockey lovers, led by ‘Hockey Citizen Group,’ aimed at getting the highest honour of the country for the great man.

This agitation went on the upswing when the government, in a snap decision, bestowed the award on Sachin Tendulkar on November 16, the day the batsman retired. It took most by surprise but for those who were campaigning for Dhyan Chand to be the first sportsperson to receive it, it came as a jolt.

It was as if they were made fools of by the government which had given the impression that it was indeed serious on honouring the late hockey wizard with the Ratna.

The sports ministry had even recommended his name for the award many months back. In a way, hockey lovers felt scandalized. Hence this frustration, leading to strong sentiments aired publicly by former stalwarts of the game and some Olympians from other disciplines.

However, those demanding the honour for Dhyan Chand would do well to remember that linking his immense contribution to the game and Olympic movement in India to just an award, howsoever big it is, is avoidable.

It will be a great day for sports if Dhyan Chand is given the honour. But will it add value to his persona or will it be a vindication of sorts? Will it help the game of hockey in India in any significant way?

As it is, sarkari decorations no longer have the respect and stature they once had. They are now mostly seen as favours doled out by the government of the day to acolytes.

What is also important for all those associated with this protest is to desist from giving it an anti-cricket or anti-Tendulkar colour. There have been voices questioning the wisdom of giving the award to Tendulkar. Many names have been put forth, all illustrious, suggesting that they were better qualified for the Ratna.

Of course, Dhyan Chand’s name figures at the top in most such lists. Everyone knows that the hurried decision to give the award to Tendulkar was more a political move than anything else.

It was a wishful attempt by an unpopular government to ride the Tendulkar wave at that time and exploit it to gain some goodwill with an eye on the upcoming elections. Giving Dhyan Chand the award wouldn’t have given the government any mileage.

That said, Tendulkar cannot be blamed if the government decided to give him the award. And he cannot be blamed for turning out to be a cricketer and not a footballer, hockey player or a tennis star.

He did his job with distinction and brought great joy to the country for so long. He also cannot be blamed him if forces of history ‘conspired’ to make cricket a religion in India.

Dhyan Chand, who died in 1979, remained a humble man despite his exceptional achievements and his immense popularity. He himself would have, one can be sure, scoffed at the idea of someone denigrating a sport or a sportsperson to get him an award. A true sportsperson always respects another. It will be in the fitness of things if those fighting for this ’cause’ remember this.

As it is, a better tribute to the memory of Dhyan Chand, for many India’s greatest-ever sportsperson, will be helping India bring back the glory days on the world stage.

Bharat Ratna will not serve any purpose in this regard which is not to say that Dhyan Chand should not get it. It will indeed be high recognition of his immense contribution. But it still is a very academic thing. How will hockey benefit?