Exactly 90 years ago, during May and June 1935, the Indian hockey team was in New Zealand and Australia to play a series of matches against the host countries’ national teams, and other smaller teams. The Indian squad was led by the incomparable Dhyan Chand who at that time was undisputedly the best hockey player in the world. But along with scoring numerous goals, Dhyan Chand also had another objective in mind – to collect a large sum of money.
Why would this man, known for his simple lifestyle, humble attitude, and quiet manners, make it his intention to collect a huge amount of money? The answer was that he was not doing it for himself but for a noble cause. He was gathering funds for the rehabilitation of victims of a severe earthquake that destroyed Quetta which was then a part of undivided India.
On May 31st, 1935, at 2.33 am when the residents of the city were fast asleep, Quetta was devastated by a catastrophic earthquake which measured 7.7 on the Richter scale. It was the deadliest earthquake to strike that part of South Asia and more than 30,000 people died on the spot. Thousands others were injured.
The quake was centered 4 km South-West of the small town of Ali Jaan in Baluchistan. However, the nearest heavily populated city was Quetta so that was where the maximum casualties were reported. The city was badly damaged and was immediately sealed under military guard while medical supplies and doctors were rushed to the spot. The British administration feared casualties would mount as time passed.
Shocked the world
The news created a sensation throughout the world because of the severity of the quake. A British army officer wrote in the battalion records: “It is not possible to describe the state of the city when we saw it. Corpses were lying everywhere in the hot sun. Every available vehicle in Quetta was used for the transportation of injured. Battalion Headquarters were established at the Residency. We had hardly commenced our work when we were called upon to supply a party of fifty men to dig graves in the cemetery.”
When the news of the destruction and tragedy reached faraway Australia, Dhyan Chand, and his men decided that they must do something about it. The hockey wizard felt that the best way the team could help the victims was to make use of the huge fan following that they had in Australia.
Every minute of free time he had, he devoted his fund collection activity. He visited prominent cities of Australia and sold autographed hockey sticks, balls, and hockey equipment with his signature on them. Vice-Captain Mirza Nasiruddin Masud, better known as Mirza Masud, joined Dhyan Chand in his task.
Played marvelously well
At that point, the focus was on fund collection and a to give a splendid show on the hockey field – since that would attract the Australian people and thus raise their awareness and sympathy for the earthquake victims in India. Knowing that they had to attract the Aussie public, the Indian team played a marvelous game in every match. Dhyan Chand went on to score no less than 200 goals and the Indian team was dubbed “Hockey Rajas” by the Aussie media.
The team members were treated like dignitaries and on one occasion they were invited to meet South Australia Governor Winston Dugan. At another programme at the Adelaide mayor’s office, as the hockey stars were entering the hall to meet the Mayor, they found that cricket legend Don Bradman was also there to greet them.
Meeting with Bradman
The Advertiser newspaper reported: “Bradman shook hands with India’s hockey stars. He told the gathering that he was glad to welcome an Indian hockey team because the members were better exponents than his fellow Australians.” It was during this tour that Bradman remarked about Dhyan Chand: “He is an amazing player. He scores as many goals in hockey as I score runs in cricket.”
Melbourne’s The Age newspaper reported one match in these words: “From the bully off, the ball would be flicked by the champion, Dhyan Chand, to his brother, Roop Singh. The two exchanged low or high passes and banged the ball often into the net past a puzzled custodian. The Australians tried hard, but seemed dazed.”
Capitalising on such unprecedented popularity and the generosity of thousands of adoring Aussie fans, Dhyan Chand and the team members managed to collect a sufficiently large sum which they then sent back to India to alleviate the suffering of the earthquake-affected people of Quetta.
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