The little town of Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh commemorated the 35th death anniversary of the wizard of Indian hockey, Dhyan Chand yesterday with a traditional inter-school match. The 15-foot statue of the legend atop a hill nearby was also garlanded in his honour.


Dhyan Chand during the 1930s. (Inset) Ashok Kumar 

At home, a small hawan (prayer ceremony) was performed by Dhyan Chand's son Ashok Kumar, who promptly recalled the sad phase when his father passed away in a not-so-honourable manner. "My father was a humble man and died after suffering from cancer in the general ward of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) hospital in Delhi.