Big, Big, BIG: PM Modi renames Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award to Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award

6th August, 2021 will go down as a watershed moment in the history of Indian sports, as well as Indian politics. In a hallmark decision, PM Narendra Modi has announced that the highest award in the field of sports, known as Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, will now be known as Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award.

To quote PM Modi’s exact words, as per his tweet, “I have been getting many requests from citizens across India to name the Khel Ratna Award after Major Dhyan Chand. I thank them for their views. Respecting their sentiment, the Khel Ratna Award will hereby be called the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award! Jai Hind!”

However, PM Modi just did not stop that. He also mentioned, “Major Dhyan Chand was among India’s foremost sportspersons who brought honor and pride for India. It is fitting that our nation’s highest sporting honour be named after him.” 

Major Dhyan Chand Singh is the man who put India on the map of the sports world. Making his debut at the age of 23 as a member of the British Indian hockey team at the Amsterdam Olympics, he created a whirlwind at the tournament, scoring 14 goals alone from the overall 29 goals that India scored on its journey to the Olympic gold. He led British India to three consecutive Olympic gold medals, and it is his prowess in hockey, that created an irrefutable legacy, on the basis of which India dominated the sport until the early 70s. It is in his honour that his birthday, 29 August, is celebrated as the ‘National Sports Day’ in India.

Yet, ironically, the highest sports honour was not named after him, but after Rajiv Gandhi, who had little to do with sports. For decades, many people demanded that the name of the Khel Ratna Award be changed, and now that it has been, they are thanking PM Modi with endless tweets –

Immediately after getting his account restored, The Skin Doctor tweeted, “Excellent decision sir. Most countries name their sporting awards after sporting legends whereas in India it was named in the honor of Rajiv Gandhi! Why? Maj Dhyan Chand is arguably the greatest sportsman has produced. Hope he gets Bharat Ratna next”-

In a way, PM Modi has once again honoured the sentiments of more than a billion people by renaming the highest sports honours in India after a man, who made hockey a household name in India. After inviting the entire Indian Olympic contingent to the Independence Day celebrations, this decision is another illustrious feather in PM Modi’s cap!