Major Dhyan Chand deserves Bharat Ratna, says grandson Vishal Singh

JAIPUR: Vishal Singh, the grandson of Major Dhyan Chand, is thrilled to see Indian hockey team getting a bronze medal. He believes every sport is performance oriented and only the enhancement in performance is key to get attention, infrastructure and other facilities. Vishal thanked the Centre for replacing the name of Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award with the name of his grandfather, but said that the hockey wizard deserves Bharat Ratna.
TOI spoke to Vishal, a sports officer based at Baran and a hockey coach, to know how medals and performances will improve the facilities in sports in India. “I believe everything in sports is performance oriented. In the past 41 years, we were not getting any medal in hockey. Thus, ironically our national game was not getting that much attention. I believe the performance of Indian men and women in hockey is phenomenal and this is certainly going to boost the game in India,” Singh said.
Vishal is the son of Major Dhyan Chand’s eldest son Brij Mohan Singh. Vishal’s father had migrated to Kota when he got a job as sports officer. “Since then our family is based at Kota and Baran,” he added.
“Also I would like to add that we tend to forget the achievement of sportsman within some time. Thus, I will urge the government of India and other states, including Rajasthan to focus, plan and execute for the improvement in facilities and infrastructure in other sports as well.” He said that sportsmen were vouching for changing the name of Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award since 2012. “The moment PM Narendra Modi announced it, we had good number of people coming to our home and congratulated us. I think I am blessed to be part of the family which had Major Dhyan Chand,” he added. Vishal believed that his grandfather deserves Bharat Ratna. “He was the man who had denied a job in German Army and their citizenship that was offered to him after his performance in Berlin Olympics in 1936. He was a true patriot.”