Dhanraj- The Gladiator. Review on Dhanraj Pillai

It is possibly a commentary upon our times that we tend to take granted all the people who serve the country silently without any hype, be it the Jawan, or Leander Peas or Dhanraj Pillai the media turns its spotlight on illusionary personalities, the page 3 person who have nothing to offer except their good looks or lineage. We know all about Zaheer Khan's hamstring tear or Anil Kumble's rotator cuff injury or even Sourav Ganguly's amorous dalliances off the field but we do not care to know about those who play their heart out, unsung and unheralded, only for the pride of playing for their country. It is to address this unfortunate imbalance in our perceptions that I am writing this article about the illustrious Dhanraj Pillai. Dhanraj Pillai was born on the 16th of July 1968 at Kirkee, a small town near Pune in Maharastra. He was born into a family of modest means; his father was a grounds man at the ordinance factory Kirkee. His meteoric rise to greatness started from those soft, muddy grounds when he started picking up the nuances of the game along with his brother and friends in the colony. He stated out with broken Hockey Sticks and discarded hockey balls, imitating the style of the legendary forward and former India Captain, Mohammad Shahid. In his passion for his game, his mother stood by him encouraging him to pick on the skills of hockey by which he has gladdened the hearts of millions of hockey fans all over the world. Continuing his obsession with his game, he moved to Mumbai to join his elder brother, Ramesh Pillay who was already playing for RCF. His brother later turned out for India and he guided Dhanraj to become one of the most feared centre forwards in World Hockey today. As his formidable talents started flowering, he was picked by Mahindra & Mahindra were he was taught the finer points of hockey by Joaquim Carvalho. His natural talent shone through and it was only a matter of time when he took his rightful place in Indian team when he represented India in Asia cup in 1989. His constitency has made him play 3 Olympic Games, 3 World Cups and 4 Asian games. His mercurial skills has been recognized the world over where he has played for Indian Gymkhana(London) FC Lyon(France), Selangor (Kuala Lumpur), Abhanani Ltd (Dhaka) and Stuttgart kickers(Stuttgart). He was the captain of the team which won the gold at the Bangkok Asian Games after 32 years, where he excelled becoming the highest Goal Scorer. He is the only Indian player to figure in the world eleven side during the 1994 World Cup held at Sydney. Recognition has flowed in for him fast and thick. He has been a winner of the Aruba Award (1995), the KK Birla Award (1998-99), and Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award (1999) and has been conferred with the Padmashri in 2000. He has been a catalyst in bringing back media attention to Hockey with his outspoken comments on the game. Due to his strenuous efforts the Indian hockey team is being sponsored by Sahara India, enhancing the profile of the team. He is also one of the few hockey players who have a personal contract with Percept D mark which fetches him approximately Rs 25 Lakh a year. He is 5 ft 8 inches tall but stands taller due to his passion for the game. He is also a bachelor and is married to the dream of being a part of an Olympic Gold Medal wining team. I hope his dream comes true and India can restore its rightful position of being the number one hockey team in the world.