The Sports Ministry has recommended hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand for India's highest civilian honour -- the Bharat Ratna. Though the clamour for this highest honour was for cricketing great Sachin Tendulkar, the ministry, after considering the representations from supporters of both the greats, decided on the hockey legend, as it believed an active sportsperson always has a chance of bagging the title in the future.
Sports Ministry recommends Dhyan Chand for Bharat Ratna
Though it remains to be seen if the authorities concerned give their consent to conferring the prestigious award to a sportsperson, Deccan Chronicle gives you an insight of the able contenders for Bharat Ratna, if any from sports.
Dhyan Chand: The greatness of a sportsperson comes to the fore when a great from another sport praises him highly. Australian batting great Sir Don Bradman commented after watching Dhyan Chand in action during Indian hockey team tour of Australia in 1935, "He scores goals like runs in cricket." Even Adolf Hitler, one of the most hated men in history, couldn't help but get charmed by the fabulous play of Dhyan Chand, a Major in the British Indian Army, during the 1936 Berlin Olympics and offered him German citizenship and a promotion to the rank of a Colonel. Dhyan Chand refused the offer.
The charismatic play of Dhyan Chand, who scored over 1000 goals from 1926 to 1948, was rated nothing but a magic on the hockey field. Such was the aura of Dhyan Chand's play that during the 1936 Olympics, crowds moved from other venues to the hockey field to watch the 'The Wizard' at play. Next day, a German newspaper carried a banner headlined: 'The Olympic complex now has a magic show too.' Hence, for obvious reasons, Dhyan Chand is credited single-handedly for popularising hockey and contributing to the India's aura as champions of the game during the pre-Independence era. Dhyan Chand inspired generations to take up hockey and continues to do so even after 34 years after his death.
Sachin Tendulkar: When Sachin Tendulkar first burst onto the international scene, it was highly debated as to how long would the little genius continue to unravel one masterful knock after another as talent losing to fame, arrogance was widely speculated. But Sachin has put to rest all doubts, as even after 24 years of his debut, he continues to play professional cricket. Over the last two decades or more, Sachin has carried the hopes and expectations of over billion population on his shoulders and he continues to strive for excellence even as he nears the twilight of his career.This interesting piece of information is worth noting: Players with whom Sachin played during his debut series have retired long since, players who made debut during Sachin's rise as Indian cricketer have called it a day, and players who are playing alongside Sachin now in Test cricket were not even born when Sachin made his debut. Such has been the hallmark of the genius.And the Little Master has made his willow do all the talking; piling up runs in thousands and cracking centuries of centuries in international cricket. Probably no other cricketer than Sachin drew so much passion from fans to the game. Sachin's dismissal used to put off fans from watching the match any longer, while Sachin's tons used to bring festive spirit among the cricket lovers.
Parents named their children Sachin after the most loved cricketer of India. If it had not been Sachin, cricket wouldn't probably have been the same as it is now.Viswanathan Anand: Like Indian cricketing great Sachin Tendulkar, Viswanathan Anand, the undisputed World Champion in chess, started making his genius felt at a young age. He became the youngest Indian to win the title of International Master at the age of 15 in 1984. In 1988, at the age of 18, he became India's first Grandmaster by winning Shakti Finance International chess tournament held in Coimbatore. He was awarded Padma Shri at the age of 18.What Dhyan Chand is to hockey and Sachin is to cricket, Anand is to chess. Anand's contribution to the game is immense as his achievements inspired generations to take chess as a professional sport rather than a mere hobby. Anand's rise in this sport changed everything as chess had no Indian role models to look up to previously. If someone is to be credited for bringing laurels to India in indoor sports such as chess, it has to be Viswanathan Anand and no one else.  In terms of titles, he has achieved everything that the game has to offer.