A newly-laid Astro-turf hockey pitch, at a cost of £250,000, at the Indian Gymkhana Club in London has been named after Indian hockey legend Dhyan Chand.
|Last Updated: Aug 23, 2011, 05:12 PM IST|Source: Bureau
London: A newly-laid Astro-turf hockey pitch, at a cost of £250,000, at the Indian Gymkhana Club in London has been named after Indian hockey legend Dhyan Chand.
Major Dhyan `Chand` Singh, better known as Dhyan Chand, was an Indian field hockey player, widely regarded as the world`s greatest field hockey player of all time.
A legendary centre-forward, he is remembered for his goal-scoring feats, first as a player and later as captain.
Chand won three Olympic gold medals (1928 Amsterdam, 1932 Los Angeles, 1936 Berlin) and was awarded the Padma Bhushan, India`s third highest civilian honour, in 1956.Speaking at the opening ceremony of the new pitch, Prof Nat Puri, President of the Gymkhana Club said, "The pitch is another step in the direction to provide better sporting facilities at the club."
Lord Gulam Noon, Vice President of the Indian Gymkhana Club said the Gymkhana needed to build 20 studio rooms to facilitate visiting players to stay at the Club.
He sought the assistance of Councillor Jagdish Sharma to get necessary approval from the Council for the project.
Dhyan Chand was the elder brother of fellow player Roop Singh. His father Sameshwar Dutt Singh was in the Indian army, and he played hockey in the army.Chand joined the Indian Army at the age of 16, in 1922. It was in informal matches in the regiment that Subedar-Major Bale Tiwari noticed his dribbling skills.
A keen enthusiast of the game, Tiwari recognised Chand`s talent. He became his mentor and laid the foundations of his technique.
Ajit Singh Sidhu, a compatriot of Dhyan Chand described Dhyan Chand as one of the greatest hockey players of the world.
Swatantra Soni, Secretary of the Gymkhana club said the Club had raised £250,000 from members and supporters under a 10-year repayment guarantee scheme. He said every visiting team that came from Australia, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka used to play a match at the club but in the last 10 years it has changed.
Councillor Jagdish Sharma said Indian community here could feel "very proud of the Club".
PTI
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.