A TRIBUTE TO THE HOCKEY WIZARD

 Major Dhyan Chand

     India celebrates its National Sports Day as a tribute to the greatest hockey player the world has ever seen; the birth anniversary of Major Dhyan Chand on August 29. 

     At the Mexico Olympics, when Bob Beaman jumped beyond 29 feet; the world record at that time being a few inches above 26 feet, the field judges went on to change the measuring tape to ensure that they were using the right measurement. Beamon’s ‘Leap to Infinity’ was attributed later to the low gravitational pull at the altitude at which the jump was taken. Legend has it that something similar happened with Dhyan Chand after a match in the Netherlands where his hockey stick was changed as people thought that he had some sort of a magnet in his stick that made the ball stick to it. In fact, it was a great tribute to his dribbling talent. 

     To summarize Dhyan Chand’s achievements, he played a major role in India winning gold medals in three successive Olympic Games; in 1928 (Amsterdam), 1932 (Los Angeles) and 1936 (Berlin) and scored 570 goals in his career which span from 1926 to 1949, during which he played 185 matches. The number of goals would exceed a thousand if his domestic matches were included in his total score. He indeed deserved titles like 'The Wizard’ and ‘The Magician’. It is a result of his exceptional career that India’s highest sports award in any sportsperson’s lifetime achievements is named after this great sportsman as ‘Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award’.

     Dhyan Singh was born on 29 August 1905 in Allahabad, which at that time was a part of the United Province of Agra and Oudh, and is named now as Prayagraj in the state of Uttar Pradesh. Dhyan’s father, Sameshwar Singh, was a part of the British Indian Army and his frequent transfers affected the study of his three sons; Mool, Dhyan and Roop, till the family settled finally in Jhansi, another district in the state of Uttar Pradesh.

     Dhyan Chand hardly played any hockey till he was recruited as a sepoy in the 1st Brahman Regiment of the British Indian Army, in 1922, as a seventeen-year-old teenager. The  Regiment was reorganised later as the 1st Punjab Regiment. Once Dhyan Chand joined the army, he started participating in various Regimental and Army games and hockey was one of them. Young Dhyan Singh was seen practising hockey even under the moonlight, which earned him the nickname of ‘Chand’ (the Moon), a name that stuck with him till the very end.

     When an Army team was sent to New Zealand, Dhyan Chand was a member of that team. The team performed exceptionally well and Dhyan Chand started getting recognition as an attacking forward. In 1925, the Indian Hockey Federation started selections for forming an Indian hockey team for the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics; five Province teams were formed for the players to demonstrate their hockey skills. The teams played again in 1927 before the Indian team for the Olympics was finalised. Incidentally, before leaving for the Olympics, the team played against a Bombay team and lost. Obviously, not much was expected from the team who lost to their home team.

     However, what happened thereafter was totally unexpected. The Indian team played a few matches in England, winning all of them and also all its pre-Olympic matches. In its pool matches in the Olympics, the Indian team beat Austria, Belgium, Denmark and Switzerland convincingly and despite some of its players indisposed and even an unfit Dhyan Chand taking field, the Indian team won the final match against the home team with Dhyan Chand scoring two out of three goals. The Indian team not only won the gold medal, but what was even more remarkable was that none of the teams could score even a single goal against India. Dhyan Chand scored 14 out of 29 goals scored by the Indian team in five matches.

     The Indian Army did not relieve Dhyan Chand for the 1932 Olympic trials but the IHF selected him without any trial. This time, his younger brother Roop Singh was also in the Indian team and once again the Indian team routed all teams to win the gold medal. In the finals, India defeated the host team with a record margin of 24-1. Of the 35 goals scored by the Indian team during the Games, the two brothers had a combined tally of 25 goals.

     In 1936, the Army refused to relieve Dhyan Chand once again for the trials and once again the IHF included him in the final team and as the proposed captain refused to participate, this time Dhyan Chand was called upon to lead the Indian team. In a pre-Olympic match, India suffered a defeat against Germany but when it mattered, India defeated Germany 8-1. It is said that Adolf Hitler was so impressed with Dhyan Chand’s play that he offered the player a citizenship of Germany and the rank of Colonel in the Army which Dhyan Chand refused politely.

     Dhyan Chand’s scoring blitz can be measured from the fact that the second-highest international goal scorer is Sohail Abbas of Pakistan with 348 goals; way behind Dhyan Chand’s tally of 570. For his achievements, Dhyan Chand was given an Emergency Commission in 1943. In 1956, the Indian Government honoured him with the Padma Bhushan and after his death in 1979, in 1980, the Indian Post and Telegraph Department issued a 35 paisa commemorative postage stamp in honour of him. 

     In 2002, the National Stadium in New Delhi was also renamed as the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium.

     What Donald Bradman is to cricket or Muhammad Ali to boxing, Dhyan Chand is to hockey. Among all the sports’ personalities of India, Dhyan Chand stands tall, head and shoulder above the rest just as his statue on Sipri Hill in Jhansi.

CONVEYING MESSAGES THROUGH PICTURES

Emojis

     An emoji is a pictograph similar to an emotion used to accompany electronic textual messages. It was created in 1999 by Shigetaka Kurita for NTT Docomo's i-mode --- the world's first major mobile internet system.

     In the 1990s, email was taking the world by storm. Communication in the digital era did away with long letters. On the flipside, it also reduced the emotional content of the messages --- it was not easy to gauge the mood of the person writing the message, leading to miscommunication. Kurita thought that pictorial cues could help to convey emotions, weather, situations, activities etc. He and his team then created a set of 176 12X12 pixel images, taking inspiration from Japanese comics. The images were called emoji --- Japanese for 'picture' (e) + 'character' (moji). It was targeted for the Japanese market, especially teenagers.

     In the 2000s, emoji became visible across chatrooms and forums. In 2010, emoji characters were encoded in Unicode, the computing industry standard for most writing systems. With the release of Apple's iOS 5 in late 2011, they made their real international debut. Now emoji is universally accepted as a popular way of making our smartphone messages 'come alive'.

     Emoji is different from emoticons. An emoticon is a smiley face created by a user by combining a group of characters, whereas an emoji is a single pre-defined image. 

AUGUST 29

 National Sports Day

     Major Dhyan Chand, India's greatest hockey player, was born on August 29. India celebrates his birthday as National Sports Day. Chand was known for his talent for scoring goals. He brought home three Olympic gold medals in 1928, 1932 and 1936 as part of the Indian field hockey team. He scored 400 goals in 22 years and in 1956, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan. After his death in 1979, the Indian postal department issued stamps in his honour. The National stadium of Delhi was renamed Major Dhyan Chand Stadium in 2002.

Facts: 

* On National Sports Day, the President of India gives away national sports awards including Arjuna award, Dronacharya and Dhyan Chand awards.

* The Indian government has launched many sports-related schemes on this day. In 2018, Khelo India, in 2019, Fit India and so on.

* Vishwanathan Anand is said to be the best chess player of India. He held the FIDE World Chess Championship from 2000 to 2002 and was the undisputed world chess champion from 2007 to 2013.

* Gama Pahelwan is known to be the greatest wrestler in Indian history. He fought 60 fights and never lost.

* Jimmy George is said to be the greatest volleyball player India has produced.

TO PURSUE YOUR GOAL

Don't Underestimate Yourself

     An old tale about a candle goes like this: One late evening a small lighted candle was being carried by a keeper climbing the stairs of a lighthouse. On the way up, the candle asked the man, "Where are we going?" 

     "We are going to the top of this lighthouse to give light signals to the big ships of the ocean," the man answered.

     "But how would it be possible for me to give signals to big ships? They will never be able to see my light," bemoaned the candle.   

     "Don't worry. Though your light is meagre, let it be. Just do your part; keep burning and leave the rest to me," replied the lighthouse keeper. 

     Soon they arrived at the top of the lighthouse where a special large lamp fitted with lenses and reflectors had been placed. It was quite dark by then, but with the help of the light of the small candle, the keeper could light the lamp and soon it shone so brightly that ships far at sea could see and be guided by its light signals.

     Like the little candle in the above story, most people often underestimate themselves, their abilities and are actually far more capable than they imagine they are. By underestimating yourself, you actually hold yourself back from pursuing your goals and find excuse for not doing the things you are capable of doing. Believe in yourself, your abilities and your potential and results will be amazing.

     Trust in yourself and in God to persevere and make it through distresses. It is said that God does not look at one's abilities or inabilities, but rather at one's availability, willingness and mindset.

   

MEDICINES THAT ACT AGAINST LIFE

 Antibiotics: How do they work?

     Anti means "against" and biotic means "life". Antibiotics are widely used to treat infections caused by microorganisms called bacteria. They work by destroying or slowing down the growth of bacteria that may cause illness.

     Usually as soon as the bacteria enter our body and begin to multiply, the body's immune system gets into action . The army of white blood cells in the blood begins to destroy the harmful bacteria even before the symptoms surface. 

     Although our immune system is capable of tackling mild infections, sometimes extra help is needed in the form of antibodies.

     An antibiotic like penicillin kills the bacterium by inhibiting its ability to either turn glucose into energy or to construct its cell wall.

     Antibiotics are only effective against bacteria, fungi and parasites. They do not work against viruses. Therefore it is important to find out if the infection is bacterial or viral. For example, infections such as the common cold and sore throats are generally caused by viruses and taking antibiotics will not really help.

     Antibiotics should be taken only when prescribed by the doctor. When antibiotics are overused, the bacteria are likely to become resistant and the antibiotic becomes less effective against a particular type of bacterium.

     It is also crucial to complete the entire course of medication even if the condition improves. Otherwise some bacteria may survive in the body, causing the infection to recur. Worse still, any future antibiotic treatment may not be as effective as the bacteria that survived in the body when the antibiotic was stopped abruptly have had some exposure to antibiotics and have consequently built up a resistance to it.

MOST BELOVED FESTIVAL OF MALAYALIS

 Onam

     Onam is a celebration in connection with the legend of Vamana and Mahabali. Mahabali, also known as Maveli, was a king in ancient Kerala. He was believed to be a wise and benevolent king who ruled over his kingdom leading to great prosperity and harmony. Mahabali became so powerful that he even challenged and defeated the gods, known as the devas. The devas sought the help of Lord Vishnu. 

     There are many versions about the legend of Mahabali. According to one version, in response to the devas’ request, Lord Vishnu decided to teach Mahabali a lesson. He took the form of a dwarf Brahmin named Vamana and approached Mahabali. Vamana asked Mahabali to grant him a piece of land that will be covered by his three steps. Mahabali, known for his generosity, agreed without hesitation. 

     To Mahabali’s surprise, Vamana suddenly grew in size and covered the entire earth and heaven with his first two steps. Mahabali understood that he was none other than Lord Vishnu Himself. In an act of devotion and penance, Mahabali bowed his head for Lord Vishnu to place his foot. Lord Vishnu blessed him with immortality and sent him to rule as the King of ‘Patala’ or the netherworld. 

     Pleased with Mahabali’s devotion, Lord Vishnu also granted him a special boon. He allowed Mahabali to visit his kingdom once a year to ensure the well-being and prosperity of his people. Mahabali’s story serves as a reminder that even the most powerful and prosperous individuals should remain humble and respectful towards others. 

     The annual visit of Mahabali is celebrated as Onam by the people of Kerala. Onam is the most beloved festival of Malayalis, and it is marked by various customs and traditions. The festivities include preparing a grand feast known as ‘sadya’, creating beautiful floral carpets called ‘pookkalam’, performing traditional games and dances like ‘Onathallu’ and ‘Onavillu’, and participating in the famous boat race called ‘vallamkali’. 

     During Onam, Malayalis from all around the world visit their homes in Kerala to reunite with their families and loved ones: the festival holds great cultural and social significance. Additionally, Onam is also considered as a harvest festival as it coincides with the beginning of the harvesting season in the Malayalam month, Chingam. 

    Onam represents happiness, enjoyment, and excitement. It is a time for people to come together, celebrate their traditions, and cherish the spirit of togetherness. 

UNFORGETTABLE REVOLUTIONARY

 Rajguru

Shivaram Hari Rajguru was an Indian revolutionary who was born at Khed in Maharashtra, to Harinarayan Rajguru and Parvati Devi in a Deshastha Brahmin family, on August 24 in 1908. He was an active member of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA), which wanted India free from British rule.

When he was six years old, his father passed away, and the family's responsibility came to him and his elder brother, Dinkar. He completed his primary schooling at Khed and went to English High School in Pune to complete secondary education.

Rajguru joined the Seva Dal early and attended meetings and training camps conducted by Dr N. S. Hardikar at Ghatprabha. Later, he became a member of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA), which wanted free India from British rule.

After becoming an active member of the HSRA, he associated himself with the ideology of Sukhdev Thapar and Bhagat Singh. He took part in the assassination of a British assistant superintendent of police, John Saunders, on December 17, 1928, at Lahore.

The trio took action to avenge Lala Lajpat Rai, who died a fortnight later due to being beaten by the police while on a rally protesting the Simon Commission.

Along with Bhagat Singh and Sukhdev, the revolutionary freedom fighter, Rajguru was also hanged to death by the British government on March 23, 1931. The whole nation remembers their sacrifice for the country as March 23 is observed every year Martyr's Day.

In his honour, Khed was renamed Rajgurunagar now a census town in the Khed tehsil of Pune.