National Sports Day

Meeting the Legends
An SJBHS podcast ‘Rendezvous with the Legends: Rahul Dravid and Ashok Kumar Dhyan Chand’ was recorded on 29 August, 2021

Sports and the camaraderie of the sports field have been the forte of Josephites down the ages. In fact, the cricket and football legends of SJBHS are considered to be demigods in the eyes of the tiniest of Josephites! No wonder National Sports Day is a celebration in the school campus. With the pandemic in play, the stage has shifted from the physical to the virtual.

In conversation with Dr. Santhosh Adam, Sports Secretary of SJBHS, were two great legends: Mr. Rahul Dravid (International Cricketing Legend and SJBHS Alumnus) and Mr. Ashok Dhyan Chand (Arjuna Awardee, Former Indian Hockey Player and son of Major Dhyan Chand).

The programme began with a prayer to intercede to the Almighty for His great mercy in alleviating the suffering and misery caused by the pandemic and an intercession for the wellbeing of all the stakeholders of the Institution.

Rev Fr Sunil Fernandes SJ, Principal of SJBHS, in his welcome address underlined the importance of Sports not only as a means of physical exercise but as adding value and character.

The Sports secretary asked Mr. Ashok Dhyan Chand a number of questions about the game, about his father’s illustrious career and about the challenges faced by hockey players then and now. In between talk of the flicks, pushes, scoops, flips, reverse flips and overhead passes of the National game of India, Mr. Ashok enlightened the audience about the early life, career and accolades of his father, Major Dhyan Chand. He insisted that it is an amalgam of hard work, effort and commitment that can take an athlete to the heights of sporting glory!

Mr. Rahul Dravid, on the other hand, said that he measured his success not by the number of runs or centuries that he gathered during his cricketing career but by the experiences that he amassed during his journey. He insisted that he had his share of failures but learnt to sail along after learning from his mistakes. A person must acquire the right attitude to turn drawbacks into opportunities to learn, to grow, to be creative, to do things differently and to build resilience especially as we are in the times of the contagion.

A number of videos showcased the glorious innings of the illustrious batsman and the legendary hockey champion. The programme came to an end leaving an after taste of adoration for the champions, a re-iteration of their humility and a lesson that hard work and balance in life can reap a multitude of rewards!