The clamour may have been for Sachin Tendulkar but the sports ministry has recommended hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand’s name for India’s highest civillian honour, the Bharat Ratna.
‘The letter recommending Bharat Ratna for Dhyan Chand has already been sent to the Prime Minister. The ministry has only recommended Dhyan Chand’s name for the highest honour,’ sports secretary P K Deb said.
The recommendation will be studied further before it goes for approval of President Pranab Mukherjee. A six-member delegation, led by Dhyan Chand’s son Ashok Kumar, met sports minister Jitendra Singh on 12 July. The delegations also included former India cricket captain Bishan Singh Bedi and Dhyan Chand’s grandson Gaurav Singh.
‘Irrespective of whether the award is given or not, it is an honour for our family that his name has been recommended by the sports minister for Bharat Ratna,’ Ashok Kumar said.
‘The minister assured us that he would try his best to get Dhyan Chand’s name considered for the honour. Since no other name has been recommended, so there is no conflict.
We are hopeful he will get Bharat Ratna this year posthumously,’ he added. Dhyan Chand won three gold medals at the Olympics, 1928 in Amsterdam, 1932 in Los Angeles and 1936 in Berlin. He passed away in 1979.
‘The letter recommending Bharat Ratna for Dhyan Chand has already been sent to the Prime Minister. The ministry has only recommended Dhyan Chand’s name for the highest honour,’ sports secretary P K Deb said.
The recommendation will be studied further before it goes for approval of President Pranab Mukherjee. A six-member delegation, led by Dhyan Chand’s son Ashok Kumar, met sports minister Jitendra Singh on 12 July. The delegations also included former India cricket captain Bishan Singh Bedi and Dhyan Chand’s grandson Gaurav Singh.
‘Irrespective of whether the award is given or not, it is an honour for our family that his name has been recommended by the sports minister for Bharat Ratna,’ Ashok Kumar said.
‘The minister assured us that he would try his best to get Dhyan Chand’s name considered for the honour. Since no other name has been recommended, so there is no conflict.
We are hopeful he will get Bharat Ratna this year posthumously,’ he added. Dhyan Chand won three gold medals at the Olympics, 1928 in Amsterdam, 1932 in Los Angeles and 1936 in Berlin. He passed away in 1979.