Dhyan Chand was born on the 29th of August in 1905. To commemorate his birth anniversary, in 2012, the Government of India designated 29 August as the country’s ‘National Sports Day’.
On National Sports Day, the President gives out all the sports-related awards like the Arjuna, Dronacharya and Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna to honour sportspersons and coaches who have made the nation proud with their service in their respective sports.
August 29, 1905 was the day when India’s most successful hockey player of all time was born in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh.
Dhyan Chand is officially known as ‘Major Dhyan Chand’; he enrolled in the Indian army at the age of 16.
He captained India throughout his playing career and helped India win three Olympic medals – in 1928, 1932 and 1936. He scored more than 400 goals in his career which spanned over 22 years.