The Sports Authority of India (SAI), Eastern Centre, marked National Sports Day with a vibrant three-day celebration in Kolkata, bringing together sporting legends, emerging athletes, coaches and officials to honour hockey icon Major Dhyan Chand on his 121st birth anniversary.
West Bengal Minister of State (Independent Charge), Department of Youth Services & Sports, Indranil Khan, joined several celebrated sportspersons at the event and paid tribute to Dhyan Chand, whose contribution to Indian hockey continues to inspire generations of athletes.
The celebration was organised under the leadership of Sibananda Mishra, Regional Director (I/C), SAI NCOE, and featured a galaxy of sporting personalities from different disciplines.
Among those present were hockey great Gurbux Singh, former Asian champion Jyotirmoyee Sikdar, athletes Sushmitha Singha Roy and Soma Biswas, table tennis stars Soumyadeep Roy, Mouma Das and Ayhika Mukherjee, shooter Joydeep Karmakar, Dronacharya Award-winning coach Kuntal Roy, archer Dola Banerjee, and footballers Biswajeet Bhattacharya, Pritam Kotal, Subhas Chakraborty and Rahim Nabi.
The occasion also celebrated the achievements of the next generation. SAI Kolkata athlete Tahura Khatun, a gold medallist in the women’s 4x400m relay at the Asian U-20 Athletics Championships in Hong Kong earlier this year, was felicitated alongside rising table tennis player Syndrela Das.
Khan, along with Mishra, led the gathering in paying homage to Dhyan Chand and took the National Sports Day pledge with the athletes and guests.
Speaking at the event, Khan highlighted Dhyan Chand’s enduring influence on Indian sport and outlined the state government’s plans to strengthen sports infrastructure across West Bengal.
“On this solemn occasion we pay respect to the legendary Major Dhyan Chand and his immense contribution to Indian sports and to the game of hockey. He will always remain a source of inspiration for Indian sportspersons for generations to come,” Khan said.
He added that the state government would work towards ensuring that athletes at the grassroots level have access to quality sporting facilities.
“As part of its efforts to help the athletes of West Bengal attain their full potential, the West Bengal government will ensure that top-class stadiums are available for budding athletes in every district of the state,” he said.
The Kolkata celebration was part of nationwide National Sports Day programmes organised across SAI centres, bringing together athletes, students, fitness enthusiasts and members of the public in a celebration of sport and community participation.
Alongside the tributes and felicitations, the Eastern Centre hosted a range of sporting competitions and recreational activities, adding a festive touch to the celebrations.
National Sports Day is observed every year on August 29 to commemorate the birth anniversary of Major Dhyan Chand. Widely regarded as one of hockey’s greatest players, Dhyan Chand represented India at the 1928, 1932 and 1936 Olympic Games, winning gold medals at all three editions and cementing his place among the country’s most iconic sporting figures.
