1924: How Kerala took her first baby steps towards Olympic glory

 

The Dawn of a Vision: Sir Dorabji Tata and the Evangelists of Sport

​The story of India’s Olympic soul does not begin on a synthetic track, but in the quiet, resolute heart of a visionary. Long before the Indian Olympic Association was formally founded in 1927, the seeds of a movement were sown in the fertile soil of the 1920 Antwerp Games. It was Sir Dorabji Tata who looked across the horizon and realized that for India to stand tall among the giants of the world, she needed more than just lone wanderers; she needed a disciplined, national heartbeat.

​With a spirit of philanthropy that bordered on the sacred, Tata reached into his own resources to summon two men who would become the architects of Indian physical culture: A. Noehren and Harry Crowe Buck of the Y.M.C.A. Physical Education College in Madras. These were not merely administrators; they were "evangelists of sport." They traversed the vast, dust swept plains and the lush, green corridors of the subcontinent, preaching the gospel of the Olympic ideal. Their mission was to find the spark of talent in every corner of the Empire and fan it into a flame that would eventually burn in the stadiums of Paris.

​The Delhi Carnival: A Crucible of Dreams

​In the shivering February of 1924, the city of Delhi bore witness to a historic transformation. The All India Olympic Games, later to be known as the National Games, convened as a grand, representative gathering. Seventy athletes, the finest from every province and princely state, descended upon the capital. It was a carnival of human effort, a "greatest gathering" where the diversity of a nation was distilled into a single purpose.

​Through a screening process as rigorous as a forge, a nine member team emerged. This "tight knit group" was a mosaic of the nation: three sons of Madras, two of Bengal, and one each from Uttar Pradesh, Bombay, and Patiala. Among them were eight athletes who carried with them a newfound sense of organizational grace. They were the third British Indian team to seek the Olympic laurel, but they were the first to be born of a truly national selection.

The Madras Cradle and the Master of the Start

​In an era where India possessed no grand stadiums or gleaming infrastructure, the Y.M.C.A. Physical Education College at Madras stood as a solitary lighthouse. Under the guidance of Harry Crowe Buck, an American by birth but an Indian by devotion, the college became the sanctuary where raw talent was refined into Olympic precision. Buck, the "Father of Indian Physical Education," did not just coach; he sculpted the spirit of the team.

​When the contingent finally departed for the shores of France, Buck assumed the dual mantle of Coach and Manager. His expertise was so profound that it commanded respect on the global stage. In the sun-drenched arenas of Paris, Harry Crowe Buck was appointed the Official Starter for the Summer Olympics. To see an Indian team manager standing at the precipice of the world’s greatest races, finger on the trigger, signaling the start of history, was a moment of quiet, soaring pride for the subcontinent.

​The Legend of Kannur: Major General Dr. C.K. Lakshmanan

​While the world’s eyes were on the "Flying Finns" and the legends of the track, a quiet revolution was taking place for the emerald land of Kerala. Born on April 5, 1896, into the revered Cheruvari Kottieth family of Payyambalam, Kannur, a young man named C.K. Lakshmanan was preparing to bridge two worlds. He was the son of the legendary Choyi Butler, a man of stature and proprietor of the famed Choyi's Hotel, whose multicultural lineage, spanning Indian and European roots, flourished into a family of extraordinary achievers.

​Lakshmanan grew up in a household of three hundred members, an ancestral seat where discipline and sport were woven into the fabric of daily life. With the family fielding its own formidable teams in football, hockey, and cricket, his ascent to the Olympic stage was almost destiny. Standing at the starting blocks of the 110 meter hurdles in Paris, Lakshmanan was more than an athlete; he was a pioneer. He was the first Malayali to breathe the rarefied air of the Olympiad, proving that the sons of Kerala were destined for the heart of the arena.

​His journey did not end on the cinder tracks of France. He would go on to become Major General Dr. C.K. Lakshmanan, serving with distinction in the medical and military corridors of a nascent India. His brother, C.K. Vijayaraghavan, would similarly etch his name in history as the first Sergeant Major Officer of the Indian Army in 1949. Together, they represented a family of warriors and winners, a lineage that later influenced institutions like General Raj's School in Delhi. Lakshmanan’s "baby steps" in 1924 were the tremors that would, decades later, become the thunderous strides of every champion who hails from the soil of Kannur.

Paris 1924: A Tapestry of Innovation and Inclusion

​The Paris Games of 1924 were a "coming of age" for the world. It was the last stand of Pierre de Coubertin and the birth of the Olympic Village in Colombes, where athletes from forty four nations lived in wooden cabins as a global community. It was the stage where Johnny Weissmuller became a god of the water and where the "Chariots of Fire" duo, Harold Abrahams and Eric Liddell, ran for glory.

​For India, these Games also marked a dawn for her daughters. Nora Polley and Sydney Jacob stepped onto the tennis courts, shattering the glass ceilings of the time. Reaching the third round, Polley showed the world that the Indian woman’s spirit was as resilient as any on earth. From the cinder tracks of the stadium to the clay of the tennis courts, the 1924 contingent laid the foundation for the formal birth of the Indian Olympic Association in 1927. 

The journey of 1924 was a voyage of discovery. It taught a nation how to organize, how to dream, and how to compete. As we look back through the mist of a century, the 1924 Paris Olympics remain the moment India and Kerala first dared to step into the light of the eternal flame.

Reference List

1. ​Indian Olympic Association (IOA) Historical Archives: The 1924 Delhi All India Games and the Formation of the IOA.
2. Boria ​Majumdar, & Nalin Mehta. (2008) Olympics: The India Story. HarperSport.
3. Family Records of the Cheruvari Kottieth Private Memoirs of Choyi Butler and the Military Service of Major General Dr. C.K. Lakshmanan.
4. ​Indian Army Historical Records (1949)  The Appointment of C.K. Vijayaraghavan as first Sergeant Major Officer.
5. ​Y.M.C.A. College of Physical Education, Madras Institutional Records: The Legacy of Harry Crowe Buck.

Coming up next: SUNDAY FIELD & FLAME – 19th April 2026: *From Rhythm to Ritual: The Physical Movements of Kerala’s Artforms

Thalassery: Where Indian Circus Learned to Stand Upright

The Pedagogy of Power in North Malabar

On the western edge of the Indian peninsula, where the Arabian Sea presses rhythmically against laterite shores, stands the historic town of Thalassery, remembered fondly as the “Land of Three Cs”: Cake, Cricket, and Circus. Of these, the circus is the most dramatic and perhaps the least understood. For long before the first Indian circus dazzled audiences beneath a canvas tent, a quieter revolution had already taken place in the schoolyards and kalaris of North Malabar.

The true story of Indian circus does not begin with spectacle. It begins with discipline. It begins with pedagogy. It begins with a new way of understanding the human body.

In Thalassery, the traditional term for a circus training centre is not “academy,” nor even “school,” but Circus Kalari. The choice of words is revealing. The term Kalari, traditionally derived from the Sanskrit root khaloorika, meaning a battlefield or military training ground, refers to the sacred space where Kerala’s ancient martial art, Kalaripayattu, was taught. By invoking this term, the early pioneers of circus training were acknowledging something profound: their modern gymnastics was not an imported novelty but a continuation of a deeply rooted martial heritage.

The Kalari trained warriors; the Circus Kalari trained athletes of air and balance. Between the two lay not rupture, but evolution.

At the centre of this transformation stood one remarkable figure - Keeleri Kunhikannan, remembered simply and respectfully as “Master.” 

Before he became known as the Father of Indian Circus, Kunhikannan (1858–1939) served as the Physical Education instructor at BEMP High School in Thalassery, formally associated with the Basel Mission. The school represented a rare meeting ground of colonial education and local aspirations. Within its compound, Western pedagogical methods encountered indigenous traditions. British officers stationed in Malabar introduced structured drills, apparatus gymnastics, rope climbing techniques, and regimented exercises that were gaining popularity across Europe.

Kunhikannan was not a passive observer of these developments. He studied them. He analysed them. He compared them silently with what he already knew as a practitioner of Kalaripayattu.

The European gymnastic method emphasised muscular symmetry, posture, and strength derived from apparatus training. The Kalari tradition cultivated something equally formidable yet different - elasticity, balance, explosive agility, and fluid coordination. Where Western drills produced upright rigidity, the Kalari nurtured supple strength. It was a strength that bent without breaking, that coiled before it struck, that understood rhythm as instinctively as force.

Kunhikannan perceived that these two traditions were not opposed; they were complementary. The horizontal bar and the Kalari kick belonged to the same grammar of movement. In that insight lay the seed of a new physical culture.

The decisive turning point came in 1888, when the travelling Great Indian Circus, founded by Vishnupant Chhatre, arrived in Thalassery. The town gathered in excitement as acrobats leapt through hoops and performers swung from trapezes with daring courage. For most spectators, it was an evening of wonder. For Kunhikannan, it was an occasion for assessment.

He recognised immediately that while the performers possessed remarkable bravery, their training lacked systematisation. There was flair without method, risk without structured progression. What he saw was a potential awaiting discipline.

He approached Chhatre with a proposal that would alter the course of Indian circus history: he would train local youth in a systematic manner, blending indigenous martial flexibility with structured gymnastic techniques. From a modest Kalari at Pulambil, a new experiment began, one grounded not in spectacle but in science.

Kunhikannan’s approach was distinguished by its clarity of method. He did not teach tricks; he taught principles. Balance was not merely a stunt but an application of physics. Flexibility was not contortion but muscular intelligence refined through repetition. Rhythm was not decoration but the invisible architecture of safe movement.

Decades before sports science would find formal academic recognition in India, a quiet laboratory had already emerged in North Malabar. Students trained in tumbling, rope walking, ring exercises, aerial techniques, and progressive conditioning. Breath control, posture, and disciplined rehearsal were integral components of the curriculum. Each movement was broken down, analysed, and reconstructed. In essence, the Circus Kalari became one of the earliest systematic high performance training centres in the subcontinent.

Yet its significance extended beyond biomechanics. In a society still tightly bound by caste hierarchies, the training hall created a rare democratic space. Suspended from a rope twenty feet above the ground, social distinctions dissolved before the common challenge of gravity. Physical merit, not birth, determined excellence. Over time, even gender boundaries began to soften within this evolving profession.

What unfolded in these training spaces was socially radical in more ways than one. North Malabar in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries was marked by economic strain, land fragmentation, and limited livelihood opportunities, particularly for marginal communities. For many families in Thalassery and Kannur, the circus became not merely entertainment but employment.

Women, too, entered this arena, sometimes hesitantly, often out of necessity, and eventually with distinction. Unlike many contemporary professions, the circus offered women a rare combination of income, travel, and public recognition. Aerial acts, rope walking, trapeze performance, and balancing routines increasingly featured women from the Malabar region. Their participation was not merely symbolic; it became integral to the success of Kerala based circus companies.

The entry of women into the circus ring subtly challenged entrenched gender norms. In a society where female mobility was often restricted, these performers travelled across provinces and even across national borders. They mastered apparatus traditionally associated with masculine strength and transformed them into expressions of grace and control. What began as economic compulsion evolved into professional expertise.

Thus, the Circus Kalari dissolved caste boundaries in the face of gravity and widened the horizon of women’s physical agency. The disciplined female acrobat emerging from Malabar was as much a product of this pedagogical revolution as her male counterpart. What emerged in Thalassery was not merely a professional training centre; it was a subtle social reform movement shaped through the discipline of the body.

It is important to remember that Kunhikannan remained, above all, a teacher. His title “Master” reflected not ownership but guidance. By integrating physical education within formal schooling at BEMP, he articulated a vision that was far ahead of its time, that intellectual development and bodily discipline were inseparable. The mind, he believed, stood upright only when the body was trained to stand upright.

By the dawn of the twentieth century, Thalassery had undergone a quiet yet profound transformation. A coastal town shaped by colonial administration and missionary institutions had become the cradle of a new physical synthesis. Indigenous elasticity, Western apparatus training, educational structure, and youthful aspiration converged to produce a generation of disciplined performers who would soon carry Kerala’s acrobatic excellence across India and beyond.

What makes this history compelling is not merely its chronology but its cultural intelligence. Modern Indian sports did not emerge here through imitation. They emerged through translation. Kunhikannan did not abandon tradition; he refined it. He did not resist modernity; he absorbed and reshaped it. In that act of synthesis, Thalassery made its lasting contribution to Indian physical culture.

Today, circus tents may no longer dominate India’s entertainment landscape. Economic change and evolving public tastes have altered the industry. Yet the deeper legacy of Thalassery does not depend upon canvas or spotlight. It survives in what may be called body memory, in the instinctive balance of a gymnast, in the controlled strength of an athlete who combines flexibility with force.

Every time a Malayali athlete grips a bar or launches into the air, there echoes the pedagogical insight of a nineteenth century schoolteacher who once stood in a colonial playground and imagined a disciplined future for the Indian body.

Thalassery remains not merely the birthplace of Indian circus, but the place where Indian sport first learned to organise itself with scientific intent, where the Kalari met the horizontal bar and tradition learned to defy gravity without surrendering its roots.
In that meeting, the Indian circus did not simply learn to leap. It learned to stand upright.

References & Further Reading

1. Nisha P.R., The Circus Man Who Knew Too Much, Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. 50, No. 44, 2015. Published by the Sameeksha Trust, Mumbai.
2. Archival materials from Basel Mission educational records, North Malabar.
3. Malabar District Gazetteer (Madras Presidency records).
4. Oral histories and regional studies on Malabar’s circus tradition.

Coming up next: SUNDAY FIELD & FLAME – 05th April 2026: Keeleri Kunhikannan – The Sports Scientist Before His Time

The First Collective Stride of India into the Olympic Arena at Antwerp 1920

The Long Silence Before the Stride

For twenty long years after Norman Pritchard’s appearance in the Paris 1900 Olympics, the Olympic arena echoed without India. It was not indifference that kept the subcontinent away from the world stage; it was the absence of structure. Talent was never lacking. Across dusty maidans, malla - yuddha arenas, gymkhanas, and village tracks, bodies were forged in sun and soil. What India lacked was an institutional heartbeat, a National Olympic Committee, a system of selection, patronage, and representation.

The Games of 1904, 1908, and 1912 passed with India as a silent spectator. The First World War further disrupted global sport, and as empires trembled and borders bled, the idea of an Indian Olympic team seemed ever more distant. Yet beneath this apparent silence, something was gathering, a slow but steady awakening of national sporting consciousness.

A World Healing and an Opportunity Emerging

The world into which India would finally step in 1920 was itself wounded and weary. The VII Olympiad, held in Antwerp from 14 August to 12 September 1920, was conceived not as a spectacle of grandeur but as a gesture of healing. Belgium had suffered immensely during the Great War, and Antwerp was chosen in recognition of its endurance.

Despite the exclusion of the defeated Central Powers - notably Germany and Austria -  2,626 athletes from 29 nations gathered in Antwerp. The Games featured 156 events across 22 sports, including disciplines that now seem distant from the modern Olympic programme: tug-of-war, polo, and even korfball as a demonstration sport. 

For the first time, the Olympic flag bearing five interlaced rings fluttered against the sky, representing the union of continents. The Olympic Oath was administered for the first time, spoken by Belgian athlete Victor Boin, pledging fairness and honour. Doves were released as symbols of peace over a continent that had only recently heard the thunder of artillery. Nations that had stood on opposing sides of the battlefield gathered in cautious fraternity.

Into this fragile yet hopeful arena stepped a small contingent from colonial India - six athletes and two managers - carrying neither political sovereignty nor state sponsorship, but something perhaps more powerful: aspiration.

Vision, Preparation, and the Making of a Team

The architect of this historic return was Sir Dorabji Tata, son of Jamsetji Tata and one of India’s foremost industrialists. A committed sports enthusiast, Dorabji believed that the vitality of a nation was reflected in the vigour of its youth.

Around 1919, while attending athletic events at the Deccan Gymkhana in Pune, he observed young Indian runners competing barefoot with remarkable endurance and natural stamina. Many came from rural or modest backgrounds and lacked professional training, yet their performances convinced him that India possessed immense untapped athletic potential. What was missing was exposure, organisation, and opportunity.

Recognising that the colonial administration would offer little initiative, Dorabji took personal responsibility. With the encouragement of Sir George Lloyd, he approached the International Olympic Committee to secure permission for India’s participation. A provisional Indian Olympic Committee was formed for this purpose, years before the formal establishment of the Indian Olympic Association in 1927.

Crucially, Tata financed much of the venture himself, covering travel and preparation expenses. His act was not merely philanthropic; it was visionary. In sending athletes abroad, he was asserting that India, though colonised, would not remain invisible.

The team selected in 1920 represented diverse disciplines and regions. In athletics were Phadeppa Dareppa Chaugule (marathon); Sadashiv Vishwanath Datar (10,000 metres and marathon); Purma Banerjee (sprints and flag bearer); and H. D. Kaikadi (5,000 metres). Wrestling was represented by Dinkarrao Shinde and Kumar Navale, both products of India’s traditional akhada culture.

The athletes travelled by sea from Bombay to England before proceeding to Belgium, where they encountered structured training systems and modern coaching methods largely unfamiliar in India. Adaptation was essential,  not only to climate and diet, but also to equipment. Many Indian runners were accustomed to training barefoot, whereas international competition demanded spiked shoes and technical precision. The transition required both physical adjustment and psychological resilience.

During that period of preparation, these men, drawn from different linguistic and social backgrounds, began to see themselves as representatives of a single identity: India.

Breaking the Silence at Antwerp

When the Indian contingent marched into the Antwerp stadium during the opening ceremony, led by Purma Banerjee carrying the Indian flag, the symbolic weight of the moment far exceeded the size of the team. Though India remained under British rule, her name was announced among nations.

The performances were marked more by courage than by medals. In wrestling, Dinkarrao Shinde achieved a commendable fourth place finish in the featherweight category, coming within reach of a podium position and demonstrating that India’s indigenous grappling traditions could withstand international scrutiny. Phadeppa Chaugule completed the marathon under unfamiliar and cold European conditions,  an act of endurance that testified to resilience rather than result. The athletics team did not reach the finals, yet participation itself was a triumph of organisation over obscurity.

They had broken a twenty year silence.

Alongside Dorabji Tata’s leadership stood Lady Meherbai Tata, a distinguished tennis player and social reformer. Though not an Olympic competitor, she embodied the broader cultural dimension of the Tata vision. At a time when women’s participation in sport was still emerging globally, her advocacy and international presence reflected a modern and progressive India. Sport, in this conception, was not merely competition; it was social advancement, dignity, and confidence.

A Quiet Beginning That Echoed Across Generations

The Antwerp 1920 Olympics did not bring India medals, but they brought something far more enduring, legitimacy, continuity, and belief. The experience paved the way for participation in the 1924 Paris Olympics and culminated in the formal establishment of the Indian Olympic Association in 1927, with Sir Dorabji Tata as its first President.

The twenty year gap between 1900 and 1920 was not a void of ability; it was a void of structure. Antwerp marked the moment when that structure began to take shape. Six athletes crossed oceans not as representatives of political independence, but as pioneers of sporting destiny. They stepped into history quietly, without medals, without fanfare, yet with resolve.

Every Indian athlete who has since stood beneath the Olympic flame stands, knowingly or unknowingly, upon their shoulders. In Antwerp in 1920, India did more than participate. She announced her intention to endure, to strive, and one day, to triumph.

References

1. Boria Majumdar and  Nalin Mehta. Dreams of a Billion: India and The Olympic Games. HarperCollins, 2020. 
2. Lala, R.M. For the Love of India: The Life and Times of Jamsetji Tata. Penguin Books India, 2006.
3. Ronojoy Sen. Nation at Play: A History of Sport in India. Columbia University Press, 2015. 
4. Mallon, Bill and Bijkerk. The 1920 Olympic Games McFarland & Company, 2003
5. Tata Central Archives. Sir Dorabji Tata: The Pioneer of the Indian Olympic Movement. tatacentralarchives.com
6. ​Olympics.com. Antwerp 1920: The Games of Peace. Historical Series. olympics.com/en/olympic-games/antwerp-1920

Coming up next: SUNDAY FIELD & FLAME – 29th March 2026: Thalassery: Where Indian Circus Learned to Stand Upright

​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.