Dhyan Chand - The Legend Lives On

Biography of Hockey Wizard Dhyan Chand
By Niket Bhushan, Wiley Eastern Ltd., 1992

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Homecoming of Heroes

The team sailed backed to India on the Strathmore. A number of celebrities were on the ship - Nawab of Pataudi, Vizzy,  and the Governors of Bombay, Madras and Mysore.

At Bombay, the gold medal winning team was met by just two people -  one from the Bombay Hockey Association, and the other from the state Olympic unit. It was raining, and the players felt the heavens were showing their feelings at the neglect of the Indian team.

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fter the closing ceremony, there was a grand banquet at which Hitler was also present. The Indian team dared not look at Hitler, leave alone talk to him.

The Indian team visited the Munich beer cellar where the Nazi party was born. Dhyan Chand even had a date with Reni Reifensthal, Hitler's famous friend who was specially deputed to film the Berlin Olympics.

Among the numerous souvenirs that Dhyan Chand brought back from Berlin is a picture of himself sitting in the Olympic Village reading a newspaper. It shows Dhyan Chand in the prime of his life.

From Berlin, the Indian team stopped over in London. They met Douglas Jardine, who was well-known in cricketing circles for the 'Bodyline' controversy. Jardine stopped his car and posed for a picture with Dhyan Chand and Roop Singh.

The team sailed backed to India in the streamer Strathmore. There were a number of celebrities that were in the same ship that the Indian team was travelling in - the Nawab of Pataudi, Maharajkumar of Vizianagaram (known as Vizzy, the captain of the Indian team that had recently toured England), and the Governors of Bombay, Madras and Mysore. Naturally, Dhyan Chand felt on top of the world.

At Bombay, the gold medal winning team was met by just two people! Both were sports officials, one from the Bombay Hockey Association, and the other from the state Olympic unit. It was raining, and the players felt that the heavens were showing their feelings at the neglect of the Indian team.

Indeed, it was disappointing welcome for a team that had played 39 matches on its tour, lost just 2, drew 1, and won 36 matches. India had scored 173 goals, with only 42 against. Dhyan Chand had scored 59 goals in all, and Roop Singh 50.

Till today, many people remember Dhyan Chand as the player who had stood up to Hitler's Germany in the dictator's own country.

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The 1936 Olympics Gold Medal Winning Indian Hockey Team

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