How Sports Got Their Names: A Study in Etymology

Before the scoreboard and the anthem, before the whistle and the jersey, there were words - wandering, weighty, and wondrous. Words that carried contests across centuries, whispering of play and pride, of struggle and spectacle. The word sport itself once meant a diversion, a carrying away of the mind from toil. In medieval courts and village greens, it danced between jest and flirtation before settling into the realm of noble rivalry and structured exertion.

The study of how sports got their names is not a modern indulgence; it is a quiet thread in the tapestry of classical scholarship. In the margins of ancient texts, philologists traced Athlos and Stadion, Gymnazein and Agon. In the ancient Sanskrit Rigveda, composed thousands of years ago, the root khel emerged to describe motion, trembling, racing, and ritual play in honor of the gods. Over the centuries, khel evolved into the modern Hindi word for “game” or “sport,” preserving the sacred and kinetic essence of its origin. Such linguistic fossils remind us that sport was never merely a pastime, it was a performance, offering, and identity.

It was only in the late 19th century, as comparative linguistics matured and the Olympic flame was rekindled, that scholars began to ask not merely how games were played, but why they were named as they were. Dictionaries grew bolder, encyclopedias more curious, and sports journalism began to echo with etymological intrigue. From the medieval French tenez - meaning “take it!” or “receive it!” - the cry of the server that gave tennis its name, to the Hindi doosra, “the other one,” that later spun its way into the lexicon of cricket, the language of sport began to reveal its layered histories.

Why does this matter? Because names are never neutral. They carry the values of the societies that coined them. To study the etymology of sports is to understand how movement became meaning - how hoquet curved into hockey, how criquet leapt into cricket, how nil from Latin nihil became the scoreline of silence. It reveals the colonial crossings, the semantic shifts, the cultural negotiations that shaped global games. It shows us how language gave form to competition, and how competition, in turn, shaped identity.

The names of sports often reflect the linguistic rhythms and physical landscapes of the regions where they first emerged. A game born in the icy fields of northern Europe may carry the cadence of Norse or Anglo-Saxon speech, while one shaped in the sun-baked Courtyard of South Asia might echo Sanskrit or Dravidian roots. Terrain influenced terminology, whether it was the curve of a stick, the arc of a throw, or the breathless chant of a player in motion. In many cases, the name of a sport was not coined in committee rooms but in the mouths of villagers, soldiers, or priests  responding to the land, the tools, and the rituals around them. To study these names is to trace the imprint of geography on language, and of culture in competition.

This is not just a study of syllables. It is a tribute to the quiet power of naming, to the way a single term can summon centuries, and a phrase can carry the pride of nations. Let us begin, then, not with the rules, but with the roots; not with the arena, but with the alphabet.

What follows is a brief journey into the linguistic roots of sports that continue to shape Kerala’s playgrounds, passions, and public memory.

Archery

The word archery traces its lineage through centuries of language and culture. It comes from the Latin arcus meaning “bow” which evolved into the Old French archier (“archer” or “bow-maker”) and later the Anglo-French archerye. Attested in Middle English around 1400, the term carried with its echoes of discipline and art. Once dismissed by the Greeks as unmanly, archery would grow to embody precision, myth, and martial grace, a union of eye, arm, and spirit.

Athletics

From the Greek athlos (“contest”) and athlon (“prize”), the word athletics journeyed through Latin athleticus before entering English in the 17th century. In ancient Greece, it signified far more than sport, it was a ritual of civic pride, the celebration of human striving for honour. By the 19th century, its meaning narrowed to denote running, walking, jumping, and throwing - the measured arts of the stadium. Today, athletics bears a dual life: in British usage, it refers to track and field; in American speech, it embraces all sport and physical endeavour alike.

Basketball

A union of basket - from Anglo-French basket, meaning “container” and ball, from Old Norse bollr, “round object.” The name reflects both simplicity and genius: when Dr. James Naismith invented the game in 1891 at Springfield, Massachusetts, he used peach baskets as makeshift goals. A year later, one of his students, Frank Mahan, suggested the name basketball, a term as direct as the game itself. Born of winter necessity, it became a symbol of rhythm, reach, and reinvention, a sport where movement meets imagination.

Cricket

The name cricket likely comes either from Old French criquet or Middle Dutch krick(e) both meaning “stick,” “staff,” or “post.” Because southern England traded closely with Flanders, the Middle Dutch source is often considered the more probable origin. First recorded in the 16th century, the term captures a rustic game played in the clearings of the Weald, evolving into England’s most elegant contest. Cricket evokes bat, wicket, and the quiet drama of the crease - where language, posture, and patience converge.

Football

From the foot + ball, literally “a ball played with the foot,” the term first appeared in 14th-century England to distinguish the pastime from horseback games. Ball kicking contests were common in medieval Europe, but the modern game took shape in the 19th century with the codification of rules. Association football was formally named in 1863 to differentiate it from rugby, and soccer soon followed as a clipped form of “association.” The name reflects both method and movement - feet on turf, chasing a shared goal.

Handball

A straightforward compound of hand (Old English hond) and ball (Proto-Germanic balluz), the term was first recorded in the 15th century to describe a simple throwing game. The modern version was codified in Germany in 1917 by Karl Schelenz and others, evolving into a fast-paced contest of control, precision, and aerial agility. The name remains true to its essence, the hand as an instrument, the ball as a challenge.

Hockey

Most likely derived from Middle French hoquet, meaning “shepherd’s crook,” the term refers to the curved stick central to the game. Hockey appears in English texts of the 18th century, though related stick and ball games are far older, played across medieval Europe and parts of Asia. Over time, the word adapted to new surfaces - field, ice, and roller - each shaped by terrain, climate, and culture. Whether on grass or ice, hockey evokes motion, rivalry, and the arc of a well aimed strike.

Kabaddi

Believed to stem from Tamil kai (“hand”) and pidi (“catch”), the name kabaddi captures the sport’s central act - a raider’s daring entry and escape. The chant “kabaddi-kabaddi,” repeated in one breath to prove control, gave the game its sound and its soul. With echoes in Vedic references and Sangam literature, kabaddi was formalized in Maharashtra in the 1920s and later codified for national competition. Its name carries the rhythm of resistance and the pulse of rural resilience.

Kho-Kho

Derived from the Marathi kho an onomatopoeic call sounded during play, the word itself embodies motion and urgency. Ancient variants, known as Rathera, were once played on chariots (ratha meaning “chariot” in Sanskrit). The modern form was standardized in 1914 by Pune’s Deccan Gymkhana Club. Today, Kho Kho reflects not merely chase and agility but the continuity of tradition in motion.

Shuttle Badminton

Named after Badminton House in Gloucestershire, where the pastime was refined in 19th-century England, the game evolved from India at Poona, a shuttle-based sport popular among British officers in colonial India. The term shuttlecock unites shuttle,  to move back and forth, with cock, the feathered projectile. The name thus combines aristocratic origin with aerodynamic grace, a meeting of heritage and flight.

Swimming

From Old English swimman, related to Proto-Germanic swimjan, the word first described natural movement through water. By the 14th century, swimming stood as a noun meaning “the act of propelling the body through water.” More than sport, it came to symbolize endurance, serenity, and the effortless union of body and element - where motion meets meaning.

Table Tennis

Once known as whiff-whaff or ping-pong, playful echoes of the sound of the ball, table tennis emerged in late 19th century England as a parlour game among the upper class. When Ping-Pong was trademarked in 1901, table tennis became the sport’s formal name. Its linguistic roots connect to tennis, itself from the Old French tenez! - “take it!” a call before serving. The name blends mimicry and lineage, rhythm and rivalry, sound and spin.

Tennis

From the Old French tenez! - “take!” or “receive!” the name tennis reflects its courtly origin. The game evolved from jeu de paume, a palm-based pastime played in monastic cloisters and royal courts. By the 14th century, it entered English vocabulary with elegance and ritual, later giving rise to lawn tennis and its modern forms. The word preserves the spirit of the serve, the gesture of offering and the dialogue of play.

Volleyball

Coined in 1895 by William G. Morgan, the sport was first called mintonette, inspired by its resemblance to badminton. It was soon renamed volleyball to reflect the volleying nature of the game. Volley comes from Latin volare - “to fly” - capturing the soaring rhythm, teamwork, and quick exchange that define the sport. From YMCA halls to Olympic arena, volleyball remains a tribute to motion, coordination, and the joy of collective flight.

And so, the journey of names ends not with a final whistle, but with a whisper of syllables that have survived centuries, of words that outlasted empires and eras. Each sport we play today carries within it a living ancestry, a trail of meanings shaped by ritual, rivalry, and reinvention. From the Sanskrit breath of kabaddi to the Latin arc of archery, from the colonial echo of badminton to the courtly call of tenez!, these terms are far more than labels. They are living testaments, each syllable a heartbeat of history, each name a vessel of culture.

To study how sports got their names is to listen deeply, not just to the games themselves, but to the cultures that bestowed them, the voices that preserved them, and the players who brought them to life. It is to honor not only the motion, but the memory; not merely the contest, but its cadence. In doing so, we preserve a heritage that speaks across generations, where every name tells a story, and every story carries a legacy in motion.

References

1. Oxford English Dictionary (OED Online) 
2. Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Tennis: History and Etymology”
3. Oxford Languages / Lexico
4. Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack 
5. Murray, H.J.R. (1952). A History of Board-Games Other Than Chess. Oxford University Press

Coming up next: SUNDAY FIELD & FLAME – 16th November 2025: The Origins of Human Physical Culture: A Global History of Running

MANUEL FREDERICK: BRONZE, BLOOD, and the BROW that Guarded India

A Goalkeeper Must Never Say Sorry
He is the first to surge forward and the last to stand guard. When a defender falters, another steps in. But when the goalkeeper errs, the whole fortress collapses. “To me, failure is nothing less than death.”

These are the words of Olympian Manuel Frederick, a custodian who turned the goalpost into a fortress and the game into a test of courage.

Early Life and Sporting Roots: From the Commonwealth Factory to the Custodian’s Circle
On October 20, 1947, in the quiet military cantonment of Burnassery, Kannur, a boy was born whose hands would one day guard India’s Olympic dream. Manuel Frederick, son of Joseph Bower and Sara, labourers at the Commonwealth factory, grew up amidst the echo of clashing sticks and dusty fields. In Burnassery, no home lacked a hockey stick, no heart lacked a dream. The residents here were mostly Anglo-Indians, and hockey was their heartbeat.

His brother Patrick chased footballs, but young Manuel found his destiny in a hockey stick, handed to him by the gentle insistence of a school physical education teacher. By age eleven, the shift was complete, the instinct undeniable. His reflexes seemed preordained, his eyes reading the game before the ball could even arrive.
At fifteen, with his father’s consent, he stepped into a larger arena, the Army school team in Bengaluru. By 1961, he had joined the Army Boys Sports Company, and in 1965 formally entered the Army Service Corps (ASC), which became his lifelong sporting base. He would later captain the ASC team in several domestic tournaments, merging discipline with instinct, army drills with the raw poetry of the field.

The Indian Army became his second home, and through its ranks, he donned jerseys of ASC, HAL, Services, Uttar Pradesh, and Mohun Bagan. Each jersey bore the same fire: to guard the goalpost like a sentinel of pride and courage.

A Bronze Legacy, A Bleeding Brow
For Malayalis, it was through Manuel Frederick that an Olympic medal first shimmered into reality, not imagined, not hoped for, but earned in Munich, 1972. At just 24, this son of Kerala stood at the goalpost like a warrior stripped of armour. No helmet. No modern gear. Only grit, instinct, and a brow that bled for the tricolour.

The Munich Olympics were shadowed by tragedy - the terrorist attack on Israeli athletes delayed India’s semifinal, shaking the team’s rhythm. In one match, Frederick saved a penalty stroke, only to see the ball rebound off the post and trickle into a goal, a memory etched into his soul.

Yet India reached the semifinals with six victories, conceding just eight goals under his vigilant watch. He was more than a goalkeeper; he was a guardian of pride, the first Malayali sentinel in a sport long dominated by northern legends. Even Dhyan Chand, the wizard of hockey, paused to praise Manuel’s fearless keeping without a helmet, without hesitation.

Nicknames followed him like shadows. “Tiger,” bestowed by Mumbai Indians when they lifted the Aga Khan Cup. “Dada,” given in Kolkata when Mohun Bagan claimed the Baton Trophy. Rivals whispered about his “Invisible Hands,” for the way he stopped shots from impossible angles, sometimes even with a kick. Others called him “Ghost,” for his sudden vanishing in the goalmouth, only to reappear with the ball in his grip.

His style was raw, resolute, and fearless. He blocked with his body, his limbs, even his head, absorbing blows that left him bruised, bleeding, but never broken. Injuries were not interruptions; they were part of the pact he had made with the game.

The year was 1977, the venue Lahore, for the second match of the India - Pakistan series. Pakistan’s team was formidable - Islah-ud-din, Hasan Sardar, Akhtar Rasool, Samiullah Khan, and Hanif Khan among its stars. Their forwards launched relentless attacks, and in one hair-raising moment, centre-forward Hanif Khan struck the Indian goal. In a heartbeat, Manuel’s head became the shield, he blocked the shot with his forehead, as there was no time to lift the stick. Like football’s Higuita, he used body, mind, and soul as weapons. Despite losing the series, Pakistan honoured him with a silver medal, a rare salute to courage.

Beyond Munich: Keeper of Many Fortresses
After making his national debut in 1971, Frederick wore the Indian jersey for seven years, representing the country in two World Cups - silver in the Netherlands (1973) and fourth place in Argentina (1978). He played test series across England, Egypt, Pakistan, Holland, East Germany, West Germany, and Malaysia, with India triumphing in eight international tests under his guardianship.

Frederick earned the reputation of the goalkeeper who won 16 national championships via tiebreakers, a master of the penalty stroke, and a wall in moments of pressure. At the domestic level, he lifted 21 national titles with the Army Service Corps, seven with HAL, and several more with Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, and Mohun Bagan. Over his long club career, his teams claimed more than 20 of India’s most prestigious trophies - the Beighton Cup, Murugappa Gold Cup, and Aga Khan Cup among them.

His career was no fleeting flame, it was a fortress built over years of grit, determination, and sheer will.

Post-Olympic Struggles: Silence After the Roar
The bronze medal gleamed, real and unyielding. The applause? Brief, almost fleeting. What followed for Manuel Frederick was not celebration, but a hush, a silence heavier than any defeat.

Of the team that claimed bronze at Munich 1972, seven players received the Arjuna Award, two were honoured with the Padma Bhushan, and one with the Padma Vibhushan. Yet Manuel Frederick alone remained invisible on the honour rolls, the goalkeeper who had bled for India, who had blocked penalty strokes with his body, was left without recognition.

He applied repeatedly for the Dhyan Chand Award, India’s lifetime honour for sports veterans. Each time, he was overlooked. Only in 2019, after nearly nine attempts, did the award finally reach him, complete with a cash prize of ₹5 lakh, a citation, and a memento. By then, the applause had aged, and the medal weighed more in memory than in metal.

The oft-repeated claim that Kerala had forgotten him entirely was not the full story. In 2007, the state government allotted him five cents of land in Payyambalam, Kannur, while he still lived in a rented home in Bengaluru. In 2019, a house worth over ₹40 lakh was constructed on that plot, and local administrative bodies later built a road - a quite but meaningful gesture of recognition. Though he continues to live in Bangalore, he makes short visits to his hometown, where the sea breeze of Kannur still carries the echoes of his playing days. The gesture was real, though the delay remained a silent testament to lost years.

Frederick spent much of his post-playing career as a school-level coach, often struggling financially. His sessions were fueled by passion, not pay. He mentored young players with the same fire he once brought to Olympic turf without pension, perks, or widespread public memory.

In interviews, he spoke not with bitterness, but with clarity. He lamented the decline of hockey in Kerala, the absence of astro-turf grounds, and the lack of institutional will. “It saddens me to see Kerala conceding goals in double digits,” he once said, watching a state team falter, his voice carrying the weight of decades.

Then, in 2021, another recognition arrived, not from bureaucracy, but from the heart. Dr. Shamsheer Vayalil, an NRI philanthropist, honoured both Manuel Frederick and P.R. Sreejesh, Kerala’s two Olympic goalkeepers, with ₹10 lakh each. At the same event, Frederick personally handed over a ₹1 crore cheque announced for Sreejesh, calling him indispensable: “There is no Indian team without Sreejesh.” Side by side, medals in hand - one from Munich 1972, the other from Tokyo 2021, they embodied two generations, two medals, one enduring legacy.

Frederick accepted the gesture with quiet grace. No fanfare. No speech. Just a smile carrying decades of bruises, blocked strokes, and forgotten applause. Recognition had finally arrived, not through titles or bureaucracy, but through conscience. And in that moment, Kerala’s sporting soul felt a little more complete.

A Birthday, A Blessing, A Bronze That Still Shines
As the calendar turns to October 20, we remember not just a birth, but a beginning - the birth of a boy in Burnassery in 1947, who would one day guard India’s Olympic dream. The beginning of a legacy that Kerala forgot to frame, but never truly lost.

This Sunday, October 19, we offer not merely tribute, but early birthday wishes to Manuel Frederick, who tomorrow will celebrate his 78th year. His journey mirrors the nation’s, hopeful, bruised, resilient.

Happy Birthday, Manuel Frederick!

May your name echo across every hockey turf laid in Kerala. May your story be taught where young goalkeepers crouch in silence. May your bronze shine brighter than gold, for it was earned with blood, not applause.

You are not forgotten. You are Kerala’s first medallist on the Olympic stage. And this birthday, we honor you not with candles, but with conscience.

References

1.G. Dinesh Kumar - Olympian Kannur. Kairali Books, 2016
2.Boria Majumdar & Nalin Mehta – India and the Olympics. Routledge, 2008.
3.Times of India May 25, 2020
4.Insights from the works of sports historian Adv. V. Devadas
5.Mathrubhumi dt 17 August 2019.

Coming up in SUNDAY FIELD & FLAME – 26 October 2025: Beyond Catching Them Young: Nurturing Kerala’s Sporting Talent

A Bureaucrat’s Playbook: M.K.K. Nair’s Legacy from Fertilizer to Fitness

M K K Nair
29 Dec 1920 - 27 Sep 1987

In the mosaic of Kerala’s modern evolution, where lines between tradition and transformation constantly intersect, the name M.K.K. Nair stands etched not as a mere footnote, but as a resonant theme. He was a builder of factories and of futures, a man who read blueprints and epic poetry with equal intensity. His life was not confined to ledgers and logistics, though he served as one of India’s finest public administrators. It moved with equal ease through temple corridors where Kathakali artists rehearsed in silence, and across sunlit sports grounds where young men leapt toward glory. M.K.K. Nair’s journey was not divided between duty and passion; it was a seamless fabric woven from both.

Born in Thiruvananthapuram in 1920, M.K.K. Nair was a first-rank graduate in Physics from the University of Madras, a mind sharpened by science and tempered by discipline. He began his career in Travancore’s civil service under C.P. Ramaswami Iyer, later joined the British Ordnance Factory in Secunderabad during the war years. By 1949, he entered the Indian Administrative Service, mentored by V.P. Menon. On the advice of T.T. Krishnamachari, then Minister of Industries and Commerce, Prime Minister Nehru entrusted Nair with the responsibility of commissioning the Bhilai Steel Plant - a landmark achievement in India’s industrial history. Following this, he was appointed Chairman and Managing Director of FACT, stepping into Kerala’s industrial heartland with a vision that extended far beyond fertilizer. He remained in that role until 1971, when he was appointed Joint Secretary in the Planning Commission of India.

In the hush of Udyogamandal’s early mornings, where factory sirens once marked the rhythm of labor, a quieter revolution stirred, one not of machines, but of muscle, movement, and merit. M.K.K. Nair, with the mind of a planner and the heart of a patron, looked beyond chimneys and chemical vats. He saw in the township’s soil the promise of play, the pulse of sport, and the poetry of collective pride. Under his watch, FACT became more than an industrial outpost, it became a republic of recreation, where every child could dream of a podium, and every worker could lace up for a match after the shift.

Playgrounds bloomed like court yards of hope. Football fields stretched wide beneath Kerala’s monsoon skies - three in number, each echoing with the thud of boots and the roar of the community. Basketball and volleyball courts, five a piece, stood ready for twilight tournaments and weekend rivalries, with three of each floodlit to extend the spirit into the night. Five badminton courts, polished and precise, hosted the Sesha sayi Trophy from 1961 onward, a tournament that became both tradition and testimony. Indoors, the hum of half a dozen table tennis tables and the quiet focus of billiards filled the halls, while a health club and swimming pool shimmered like promises of vitality and leisure. A dedicated sports hostel rose nearby, not merely a shelter, but a sanctuary for those who trained with fire in their veins.

This was no ornamental indulgence. Nair built an administrative spine to match the athletic muscle. The FACT Sports Association, functioning with the autonomy of a state council, was governed by discipline and merit. It moved with the independence of a republic, organizing tournaments, managing facilities, and selecting athletes with the foresight of a strategist and the compassion of a patron. No minister’s nod, no nepotistic whisper, only the echo of merit bouncing off floodlit walls.

To lead this quiet revolution, Nair chose a man of many games, Thomas Koshy, who had danced with footballs, dribbled through basketball courts, and wielded cricket bats with equal grace. Appointed as FACT’s first Sports Officer, Koshy became the steward of this new order, the bridge between policy and play. His post was not a ceremonial gesture, but a cornerstone of institutional purpose, a signal that sport was no longer pastime, but priority.

And then came the players, not merely recruited, but revered - drawn by Nair’s faith and FACT’s fields. Balagopalan Thampi, the first Sesha sayi Shuttle champion of 1961, was invited by M.K.K. Nair to join FACT High School as Games Teacher cum Librarian. For three seasons, he trained young minds in the art of shuttlecock, blending discipline with delight. Thambi later joined Kerala Sports Council as the first shuttle badminton coach of Kerala. Eminent badminton players like Noreen Padua and Jessie Philip sprang from FACT’s courts. Balan Pandit, among the first Keralites to play County cricket; S. Ramanujan, Kerala’s Table Tennis Champion for a decade; and Kesavan Nair, who later became the national swimming coach, all found their footing here. Simon Sundararaj, Olympian and the last Indian to score in Olympic football, discovered not just employment but purpose within FACT’s fold. T.D. Joseph, fondly called Pappan, rose as a volleyball legend, his spikes echoing through the township’s evenings. Mani, Kerala’s football captain, etched his name with a hat-trick in the Santosh Trophy final, a feat that, too, began with Nair’s faith and FACT’s fields. These were not just athletes; they were architects of a new identity, where industry and inspiration walked hand in hand.

Thus FACT, under M.K.K. Nair, became a township that played. Not at leisure alone, but in legacy. Not in pastime, but on purpose. And every whistle blown, every match won, every child who ran barefoot across those fields, became a verse in the long poem of Kerala’s sporting soul.

In the township where fertilizer fed the fields and chimneys kissed the sky, M.K.K. Nair sowed a different kind of seed, one that sprouted not in soil, but in spirit. He knew that sports, like industry, needed scaffolding. Not just courts and grounds, but a conscience. And so he built not merely playgrounds, but a system, an architecture of fairness, where talent could rise without tugging at political sleeves.

Nair’s vision extended across every court, track, and turf where Kerala’s youth chased excellence - it extended into the very soul of Kerala’s artistic heritage. Beyond FACT’s gates, Nair’s vision spilled into the region. The Udyogamandal Sports Federation took shape, stitching together athletes from neighboring industrial units into a tapestry of competition and camaraderie. Thus, within the hum of turbines and the rhythm of assembly lines, a new rhythm emerged, the beat of boots on turf, the whistle of referees, the cheer of township crowds. It was administration, yes - but it was also art. A choreography of fairness, discipline, and joy. And in every match played, every athlete recruited, every rule upheld, M.K.K. Nair’s playbook turned policy into poetry.

And yet, even as sports fields rang with cheer and exertion, the air at FACT also echoed with the notes of classical ragas and the measured footfalls of Bharatanatyam and Kathakali. For Nair, culture was not an ornament of governance but its foundation. He believed that no nation could call itself modern if it did not also remember the grace of its past. With that belief, he extended patronage not only to festivals and performances but to institutions and individuals who carried the torch of tradition. His name is inseparably linked with the mid twentieth century revival of Kathakali in Kerala. He offered support, not just financial, but emotional and logistical to some of the finest artistes of the time. Kalamandalam Krishnan Nair and Kudamaloor Karunakaran Nair, among others, found in him a steadfast patron who understood their art not superficially, but with reverence and clarity.

One of his most enduring legacies was the founding of the Lalitha Kala Kendra within the FACT campus, a space where art was not merely taught but lived. Music, theatre, dance, painting, all were made available to the workers, their spouses, and their children. In the cultural calendar of FACT, performance and participation were not afterthoughts, they were built into the rhythm of life. It was, perhaps, the first such experiment in India where a public sector undertaking formally embraced the arts as part of its corporate character. While other PSUs focused on output and efficiency, M.K.K. Nair added another metric to success - human flourishing.

M.K.K. Nair defied categories. He was not content to be remembered merely as an administrator, nor did he chase the labels of cultural icons. Yet he was both and more. He bridged world without losing balance. He showed Kerala that one could build chimneys and stages with the same hands. That industry could generate dignity, and art could be organised with rigour. That sports could create solidarity, and culture could rebuild confidence. Scholars like Malayattoor Ramakrishnan and U.C. College physical educationist C.P. Andrews lent their minds to the mission, ensuring that the organisation was not merely functional, but sportive and philosophical.

He left behind no monuments carved in stone, but movements etched in memory. In the book of Kerala’s modern memory, his chapter should not be tucked into the margins of policy or performance metrics. It must be read aloud, in full, where young readers may learn that public life can be both purposeful and poetic. M.K.K. Nair left behind no slogans, but he left behind a living legacy: a township that sang and played, a state that remembered its soul, and a nation still learning from men like him.

This article is not merely a remembrance of legacy, but a rekindling, so that the present generation may know that greatness once walked among us, building chimneys and dreams with equal conviction.

Yesterday, 27th September, marked his death anniversary - not a date of silence, but of remembrance, where memory becomes a bridge between what was built and what must endure.

References

1. G. Sreekumar. M.K.K. Nair – A Centenary Remembrance.  
2. Nair, M.K.K. The Story of an Era Told Without Ill-Will. FACT Publications, 1986.  
3. Nair, M.K.K. A Momentous Journey.  
4. “M.K.K. Nair.” Wikipedia. (Accessed 2025).  
5. Sanil P. Thomas. “Mathrubhumi Archives,” dated 29 December 2020.  
6. Personal interview with Balagopalan Thampi, conducted in December 2023.

Coming up in SUNDAY FIELD & FLAME – 05 October 2025: Major General Dr. C. K. Lakshmanan - India’s First Malayali Olympic Athlete and Healer in Uniform

​From Dhyan Chand to Kerala's Heroes: A National Sports Day Story

Dhyan Chand to Kerala's Heroes: A National Sports Day Story

Every year, August 29 is celebrated as National Sports Day in India, commemorating the birth anniversary of the legendary hockey player Major Dhyan Chand, affectionately known as “The Wizard.” Dhyan Chand’s unparalleled skill and leadership led the Indian hockey team to three consecutive Olympic gold medals in 1928, 1932, and 1936. His artistry on the field, marked by deft stick work and precise control, earned him global recognition and admiration. Even world leaders took notice; in Berlin 1936, Adolf Hitler was so impressed by his talent that he offered Dhyan Chand a high-ranking military post in Germany - an offer he politely declined.

Dhyan Chand’s journey to sporting immortality began long before his Olympic triumphs. In 1926, when the Indian Hockey Federation was newly formed, the federation organized its first international tour to New Zealand. It was on this tour that Dhyan Chand truly established himself as India’s premier hockey star. His excitement upon selection is beautifully recounted in his autobiography 'Goal'.

“It was a great day for me when my Commanding Officer called me and said: ‘Boy, you are to go to New Zealand’. I was dumbfounded and did not know what to reply. All I did was to click my heels snappily, give a smart salute as I possibly could and beat a hasty retreat. Once out of sight of the officer, I ran like a hare to reach my barracks and communicated the good news to my fellow soldiers. And what a reception they gave me! I lost no time in getting prepared for the trip. I was not a rich man, my earnings as a sepoy being only a few rupees a month. My parents were not rich either. All thoughts of outfitting and equipping myself in the proper manner for an overseas tour of this nature had to be given up for want of sufficient resources. I clothed myself as inexpensively as possible, and my main outfit was my military kit…”

The Indian team ended the tour with 18 victories in 21 matches, scoring 192 goals while conceding just 24, averaging 9.31 goals per match. Most of these goals came from Dhyan Chand, then a Lance Naik in the Indian Army. Buoyed by this success and the support of the colonial British administration, the Indian Hockey Federation secured global affiliation in 1927.

While Dhyan Chand’s unparalleled achievements laid the very foundation of India’s hockey legacy, they also opened the path for celebrating sporting excellence across the land, inspiring every state to nurture athletes of international repute. On this day, the nation gathers for the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award ceremony, an occasion that honours not only the wizard of hockey but also the enduring power of sports to mould character, instill discipline, and kindle the spirit of teamwork, resilience, and determination.

This year, carrying forward that vision, India will mark National Sports Day 2025 as a three-day fitness movement, underscoring the need to make health and physical activity a shared national priority.

National Sports Day thus becomes far more than a remembrance of a legend; it is both a living reminder of how sport shapes lives and a celebration of India’s collective journey of excellence. It is also the nation’s moment to salute the collective spirit of Indian sport - recognising the achievements of athletes, coaches, and mentors across the country - while embracing a nationwide celebration of fitness, sportsmanship, and community engagement from August 29 to 31.

Across India, schools, colleges, and communities mark the day with tournaments, fitness drives, and awareness campaigns. States also use the occasion to assess infrastructure, broaden participation, and identify emerging talent. More importantly, National Sports Day is the day when India’s most prestigious sporting honours are conferred, recognising exceptional athletes and coaches who have dedicated their lives to the pursuit of excellence.

While celebrating National Sports Day, it is fitting to recognise that the spirit of sport extends far beyond Dhyan Chand himself. While his wizardry on the hockey field inspires the nation, the day also pays tribute to every athlete, coach, mentor, and enthusiast who has contributed to India’s sporting legacy. Kerala’s sporting community, with its decades-long commitment to excellence and innovation, exemplifies the same principles of dedication, discipline, and passion that Dhyan Chand embodied.

From the grassroots level to international arenas, Kerala continues to uphold a tradition of sporting excellence, demonstrating that true glory in sport comes from sustained effort, community support, and a lifelong dedication to physical culture. National Sports Day, therefore, is not just a celebration of an individual legend, it is a befitting tribute to the entire sporting fraternity, which nurtures talent, fosters resilience, and inspires generations of athletes to dream bigger and achieve higher.

Kerala’s National Sporting Honours

If the playing fields of Kerala are the roots, then the national honours bestowed upon her sons and daughters are the blossoms that crown that tree. These awards are not mere medals or citations; they are affirmations of a people’s spirit, discipline, and relentless pursuit of excellence. From village grounds to Olympic arenas, Kerala’s athletes and coaches have carried the fragrance of this small state into the great garden of Indian sport.

Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Awardees

India’s highest sporting honour, instituted in 1991–92, stands as a beacon for the finest international performances. It is not easily won, for it demands not just talent but the rare brilliance of rising above the world’s best. When conferred upon athletes from Kerala, it becomes more than an individual recognition - it becomes a celebration of the land itself, its sweat, its soil, and its ceaseless training grounds. From Kerala, the award has been conferred to:

2002 : K. M. Beenamol (Athletics)
Beenamol scripted history by winning the 800m gold medal at the 2002 Asian Games in Busan, along with a silver in the 4x400m relay. She became the first Indian woman to reach an Olympic 800m semifinal at Sydney 2000. Her consistency and ability to break barriers in middle-distance running brought her the Khel Ratna.

2003 : Anju Bobby George (Athletics)
Anju gave India its first-ever World Athletics Championships medal with a bronze in long jump at Paris (2003). She also won gold at the 2005 IAAF World Athletics Final and silver at the 2006 Commonwealth Games. Her achievements elevated Indian athletics on the global stage.

2021 : P. R. Sreejesh (Hockey)
As India’s stalwart goalkeeper, Sreejesh played a pivotal role in securing the bronze medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, ending India’s 41 year wait for a hockey medal. Known as the “Great Wall of India,” his leadership and resilience earned him the nation’s highest sporting honour.

The Arjuna Awardees

Since 1961, the Arjuna Award has honoured those who embody consistent excellence on the national and international stage. For Kerala, it has been a garland woven with many flowers, athletes who sprinted across tracks, volleyballers who soared above nets, footballers who carved artistry on muddy fields, swimmers who cut through waters, and hockey players who stood tall with the stick of pride. Each Arjuna from Kerala tells the story of dedication carried out not in isolation but with the heartbeat of a people behind them.

Year		Event		Awardee
1965	:	Mountaineering	:	Hav. C. Balakrishnan
1974	:	Athletics	:	T. C. Yohannan
1975	:	Volleyball	:	K. C. Elamma
1976	:	Volleyball Ball Badminton	: :	Jimmy George A. Sam Christudas
1978	:	Athletics	:	Suresh Babu
1979	:	Athletics Volleyball	: :	Angel Mary Joseph V. M. Kutty Krishnan
1982	:	Athletics	:	M. D. Valsamma
1983	:	Athletics	:	P. T. Usha
1984	:	Volleyball Powerlifting	: :	Sally Joseph P. J. Joseph
1985	:	Athletics	:	Shiny Wilson
1986	:	Volleyball	:	Cyril C. Valloor
1988	:	Swimming Powerlifting	: :	Cherian Wilson P. K. Yasodharan
1989	:	Athletics	:	Mercy Kuttan
1991	:	Volleyball	:	K. Udayakumar
1992	:	Powerlifting	:	E. Sajeevan Bhaskar
1993	:	Athletics	:	K. Saramma
1994	:	Athletics	:	K. C. Rosakutty
1996	:	Athletics	:	Padmini Thomas
1999	:	Hockey Bodybuilding Shooting	: : :	S. Omana Kumary T. V. Pauly Roopa Unnikrishnan
2000	:	Swimming Badminton Athletics	: : :	Sebastian Xavier George Thomas K. M. Beenamol
2001	:	Yatching	:	R. Mahesh
2002	:	Football	:	I. M. Vijayan
2003	:	Athletics	:	Anju Bobby George
2004	:	Rowing	:	Jenil Krishnan
2006	:	Athletics	:	K. M. Binu
2007	:	Athletics Boxing	: :	Chithra K. Soman Johnson Varghese
2008	:	Athletics	:	Sinimol Paulose
2009	:	Athletics Volleyball	: :	Joseph Abraham K. J. Kapil Dev
2010	:	Athletics	:	Preeja Sreedharan
2014	:	Volleyball Basketball Badminton Rowing Athletics	: : : : :	Tom Joseph Geethu Anna Jose V. Diju Saji Thomas Tintu Luka
2015	:	Hockey	:	P. R. Sreejesh
2019	:	Athletics	:	Muhammed Anas Yahiya
2022	:	Athletics Badminton	: :	Eldhose Paul H. S. Prannoy
2023	:	Athletics	:	M. Sreeshankar
2024	:	Swimming	:	Sajan Prakash

The Major Dhyan Chand Award

Major Dhyan Chand Awardees Instituted in 2002, this award salutes lifetime achievement, a lifetime spent shaping the soul of sport. To receive it is to be honoured not for a fleeting victory but for the long vigil - the years of sacrifice, the nurturing of others, the handing over of a torch to future generations. Kerala’s recipients here are not just athletes of yesterday; they are guardians of memory and mentors of tomorrow

2015 : T. P. Padmanabhan Nair (Volleyball) 

A seminal figure in Indian volleyball, T. P. Padmanabhan Nair captained the national team and was a coach for decades. He was the first  volleyball player from Kerala  to receive the Dhyan Chand Award, in recognition for his contributions as both a player and a coach.

2019: Manuel Frederick (Hockey)
The first Malayali to win an Olympic medal (bronze as goalkeeper in Munich 1972), Manuel Frederick was honoured with the Dhyan Chand Award in 2019, in recognition of a career that had long been celebrated locally but was now formally acknowledged at the national level.

The Dronacharya Awardees

If athletes are the arrows, then coaches are the bows that give them flight. Instituted in 1985, the Dronacharya Award honours those whose vision and guidance have transformed potential into podium finishes. For Kerala, this award carries a special resonance, because from its earliest days, her coaches have trained not just bodies, but spirits, shaping raw energy into disciplined artistry. From the very first recipient onwards, Kerala’s imprint has been indelible

1985 : O. M. Nambiar (Athletics)
The inaugural recipient of the Dronacharya Award, O. M. Nambiar mentored P. T. Usha, laid the foundation of modern athletics coaching in India. His scientific methods and discipline produced Olympic level athletes.

 2006 : Damodaran Chandralal (Boxing)
A respected boxing coach from Kerala, Chandralal trained national and international boxers, strengthening southern India’s boxing culture.

2021 : P. Radhakrishnan Nair (Athletics)
Radhakrishnan Nair has been a key figure in Indian athletics, serving as the chief national coach and guiding many athletes to success on the global stage.

2021 : T. P. Ouseph (Athletics Lifetime) 

Ouseph is a highly decorated coach who has mentored many of India's finest track and field athletes, including Anju Bobby George. His expertise and long-standing commitment to the sport earned him the Lifetime Achievement award.

2023: E. Bhaskaran (Kabaddi Lifetime) 

Bhaskaran is a veteran kabaddi coach who guided India to multiple international golds. His tactical acumen and long-standing service to the sport earned him the Lifetime Achievement award.

2024: S. Muralidharan (Badminton - Lifetime)
Recognized for his extensive career as a player, coach, and administrator, S. Muralidharan received the Dronacharya Award for Lifetime Achievement for his immense contribution to the sport of badminton.

Together, they are not just recognitions, but resonant echoes of Kerala’s spirit in motion, a legacy of sweat, struggle, and triumph that continues to inspire generations. The Khel Ratna crowns those whose brilliance shone brightest on the world stage. The Arjuna Award salutes years of unwavering excellence, steady as the pulse of our soil. The Dronacharya Award bows before the masters who moulded champions with patience and vision. And the Dhyan Chand Award stands as an eternal garland for a lifetime of devotion to the games we cherish.

For Kerala, they are more than awards; they are symbols of an eternal dialogue between effort and excellence, between soil and soul, between a small land and the vast destiny of a nation.

Ultimately, National Sports Day is a tribute to every individual who has ever picked up a ball, laced up a pair of shoes, or stood on a starting block. It embodies the universal message that in the world of sports, every effort counts, and every dream is worth chasing. Let this day be celebrated in honor of all passionate sportspersons, and a reminder that the spirit of sports extends far beyond medals or records. While we celebrate Sports day on August 29, let us constantly remember the true theme of National Sports Day throughout the year, fostering a culture of sports, fitness, and perseverance in every corner of the country.

May the fields of Kerala continue to nurture new heroes, records await new names, and the flag rises higher still, inspired by the legacy of Dhyan Chand and the countless athletes who keep his spirit alive.

References

1. ”Goal” Autobiography of Dhyan Chand. Sport & Pastime, Madras 1952.
2. Government of India, Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports. National Sports Awards Archive.
3. Krishnan, M. (2018). Major Dhyan Chand: The Wizard of Hockey. New Delhi: Sports Heritage Press.
4. Press Information Bureau (2024). National Sports Awards Announcements
5. Sports Authority of India. Coaching and Infrastructure Reports – Kerala.
6. Government of India Notification (1982) Declaring August 29 as National Sports Day to honour Major Dhyan Chand.

 Coming up next: On Sunday, 31st August 2025 – the fifth day of Onam – games in the courtyards and backwaters begin to stir with ceremony and purpose.