Thursday, September 04, 2008

ಹೇಳು, ನಾನೇನು ನೀಡಲಿ?

ಯಾವ ಸುಳಿವು ಇಲ್ಲದೆ
ಹಾಗೇ,ನೇರವಾಗಿ
ಆತ್ಮಕ್ಕೆ ಇಳಿದು
ನನ್ನ ಒಳಗಿನ ಜೀವದೆಳೆಗಳಿಗೆ
ಸಾವಿರ ದೀಪಗಳ ಬೆಳಕು
ಗುಲಾಬಿ ಪರಿಮಳದ ಲೇಪ
ಒಲವಿನ ಮಹಾನದಿಯ ಹರಿವು
ಹಸಿರ ಮರಗಳ
ಪುಟ್ಟಹಕ್ಕಿಯ ಇಂಪು
ತಂಪೆರೆಯುವ ಗಾಳಿ
ಅರಳಿ ನಗುತಿರುವ
ಬಳ್ಳಿ ಹೂ ಗೊಂಚಲು
ಅದೇನೋ ಧನ್ಯತಾ ಭಾವ
ಕ್ಷಣಮಾತ್ರದೊಳಗೆ
ನನ್ನ ಲೋಕವೆಲ್ಲ ಚಂದ ಚಂದ.
ಯುಗ ಯುಗಗಳವರೆಗೆ
ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಹೀಗೆ
ಇದ್ದು ಬಿಡುವ
ಎಂದೆನ್ನಿಸುವ
ನಿನ್ನ ಜೊತೆಗೆ
ನಾನೇನು ನೀಡಲಿ?

Monday, September 01, 2008

ಹಾಕಿ ಬಾನಿನಲ್ಲೊಬ್ಬ ಚಂದ್ರ

ಆಗಸ್ಟ್ ೨೯ರಂದು ಹೀಗೆ ಗೂಗಲ್ಲಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಏನೋ ಹುಡುಕುತ್ತಿದ್ದಾಗ, ಅದು ಭಾರತದ ರಾಷ್ಟ್ರೀಯ ಕ್ರೀಡಾ ದಿನ ಅಂತ ಗೊತ್ತಾಯ್ತು.ನನ್ನ ಇತ್ತೀಚಿನ ಈ ಜ್ಞಾನೋದಯಕ್ಕೆ ನಂಗೆ ಖುಶಿಯಾಗಿ ಯಾಕೆ ಆಗಸ್ಟ್ ೨೯ನ್ನೇ ಕ್ರೀಡಾ ದಿನ ಅಂತ ಮತ್ತೆ ಗೂಗಲ್ ಹುಡುಕಾಟ ಮುಂದುವರ್ಸಿದೆ. ಆಗ ಗೊತ್ತಾಯ್ತು ಶ್ರೀ ಧ್ಯಾನ್ ಚಂದರ ಹುಟ್ಟುಹಬ್ಬ, ಅವರ ಅತ್ಯದ್ಭುತ ಸಾಧನೆಯ ಸ್ಮಾರಕವಾಗಿ, ಈ ಕ್ರೀಡಾ ದಿನ ಅಂತ ಗೊತ್ತಾಯ್ತು. ಅವರ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ತಿಳಿದುಕೊಳ್ಳೋಣ ಅಂತ ವಿಕಿ ಓದಿದೆ.

ನಿಮಗಾಗಿ ಕೆಲವು ತುಣುಕುಗಳು (ವಿಕಿಪೀಡಿಯ ಕೃಪೆ)

The Indian Hockey Federation (IHF), founded in 1925, was also lobbying for hockey as an Olympic sport. In preparation for that possibility, the IHF had already conducted its inaugural national championship in 1925. The successful Indian army tour of New Zealand in 1926 had convinced the IHF that an Indian team should participate in the Olympics.However, one problem remained. As England had won both the Olympic hockey tournaments held thus far, Britain was not keen that India, then its colony, participate in the Olympics. After an appeal, the British agreed to India's participation as the British Indian hockey team.

It is a matter of record that from 1928 till India won independence in 1947, Britain never competed in the same Olympic hockey tournament as India. The first meeting between India and Britain would take place two decades later, in the 1948 Olympic hockey final at Wembley, London. India won this match 4-1 to assert its hockey supremacy in the world.

A newspaper report about India's triumph said the following, "This is not a game of hockey, but magic. Dhyan Chand is in fact the magician of hockey." Another newspaper commented, "It is not only the number of goals that Dhyan Chand scores, but the way he scores them."

One journalist reported: 'It looks like he has some invisible magnet stuck to his hockey stick so that the ball does not leave it at all.'

1932 Los Angeles olympics

Wrote one newspaper on the first match, "Perfection is perilous, for it tempts the gods. For once, this was proved wrong for even the god of weather paid tribute to the genius of the Indian players. Rain clouds, which had threatened to ruin the game, vanished into the blue, and thousands of spectators spent a happy hour marvelling at the incomparable artistry of the Indian team."
The second match was witnessed by the Governor of Ceylon, Sir Graeme Thompson, who remarked, "Is the match really over? I feel that I have been watching the Indians play for only five minutes."

One Los Angeles newspaper wrote, "The All-India field hockey team which G. D. Sondhi brought to Los Angeles to defend their 1928 Olympic title, was like a typhoon out of the east. They trampled under their feet and all but shoved out of the Olympic stadium the eleven players representing the United States."
The Los Angeles Times wrote, "The Americans looked liked a junior team and were disjointed. The Indian forwards made lightening flashes, and both Dhyan and Roop were an inspiration to the side."
A cartoon published in the Evening News of India showed Dhyan Chand's stick in the form of a cobra, and Dhyan Chand whistling in front of it like a snake charmer. The hockey stick expresses its feeling with American expressions like 'Gee Wiz'.

1936 Berlin Olympics

India and Germany were to clash in the 1936 Berlin Olympics hockey final.
A crowd of 40,000 that included the Maharaja of Baroda and a large number of Indians who had travelled from all over the Continent and England had turned out to see the final battle. The audience included Adolf Hitler, and top Nazi officials like Hermann Goering, Joseph Goebells, Joachim Ribbentrop and others.
Packed with thrilling incidents, the final had the vast crowd at the edge of their seats. The Germans undercut and lifted the ball in a game played at a very fast pace. Twice India's Dara tried to score but was off-side on both occasions. Germany had been successful at stopping the Indian forwards and it was becoming very difficult for the Indians to score.
It was clear that the first goal scored would be important. In the 32nd minute, Roop Singh scored from a difficult angle after getting a pass from Jafar. This was the only goal India scored till half-time.
During the break, Dhyan Chand huddled his team together and congratulated them on their play so far. He cautioned them that the one goal lead was very small, and that Germany could equalise anytime.
The Indian team got into their rhythm in the second half. Dhyan Chand scored in the opening minutes of the half. India then scored a barrage of goals - four in five minutes to seal the fate of the match.
As the ground was still slippery due to the rain, Dhyan Chand discarded his spiked shoes and stockings and played with his bare feet and rubber soles. It was the incredible stickwork of Dhyan Chand that had the crowd gasping. The way he moved with the ball, as if it was stuck to his hockey stick, puzzled all those who were present.
After India had scored four goals, Germany finally opened its account off a rebound from goalkeeper Richard Allen. This was the first goal conceded by India in the Olympic tournament. It would be the only goal they would concede.
After the sixth goal scored by India, the Germans decided to go after the Indian captain. The German players started to play aggressively and go for rough tackles on Dhyan Chand. The German goalkeeper even broke one of Dhyan Chand's teeth in a clash.
After receiving first aid, Dhyan Chand came back to the field and instructed his team not to score any more goals. "We must teach them a lesson in ball control," he told his team.
The Indian team would take the ball to the German 'D', then back pass among themselves, then take it again to the goalmouth but not score. This strategy baffled the Germans. Dara and Dhyan Chand rounded off the tally in the last few minutes of the game to make the final score India 8 - Germany 1
After the final, as the Indian players were rejoicing at the victory, Dhyan Chand appeared a little sad. On being asked the reason, he said that if this victory had come under the Indian flag, he would have been all the more pleased. More than a decade later, he relished the fact that India became independent on the historic day of August 15, 1947.
Adolf Hitler left his special box in a huff, after Germany's rout. Next day, he invited him for a meeting the following day. Hitler asked Dhyan Chand what post did he hold in India. On learning that the hockey wizard was a mere Naik in the Indian army, Hitler offered to make Dhyan Chand a Field marshal should he decide to live in Germany. Dhyan Chand politely refused, saying that he had a large family to look after, in India. Another version is that Hitler called him up at the end of the match and asked him the question, "What will you take to play for Germany?" To this, Dhyan Chand replied "Nothing sir, India is my India". He had scored a total of 59 out of the team's tally of 175 that Olympics.
Dhyan Chand was a very simple man. Once he played in an exhibition match with a women's team at Prague, after the Olympic Games. A female fan was highly impressed by his game and expressed her desire to kiss him. He stepped back, saying that he was a married person!
During a 1935 tour of New Zealand and Australia, he scored 201 goals out of the team's tally of 584 in 43 matches. Don Bradman and Dhyan Chand once came face to face at Adelaide in 1935, when the Indian hockey team was in Australia. After watching Dhyan Chand in action, pala remarked "He scores goals like runs in cricket".

Hats off Sir .

Follow this link for a complete read
Dhyan Chand