Dhanraj Pillay
Encyclopedia
Dhanraj Pillay (born 16 July 1968) is a field hockey
player and former captain of the Indian hockey team. He is currently the manager of the Indian Hockey team. Also he is a member of the adhoc committee of Indian Hockey Federation, formed after the suspension of Kanwar Pal Singh Gill
.
in Maharashtra
. As a bachelor, he lived in Powai
while his parents lived in Khadki in Maharashtra.
He is fluent in Marathi
, Tamil
(his mother tongue), Hindi
and English
.
. His mother, whom he gives all the credit for his success, encouraged all her five sons to play hockey despite leading a hand-to-mouth existence.
Dhanraj moved to Mumbai in the mid-eighties to join his elder brother Ramesh, who was playing for RCF in the Mumbai League. Ramesh had already played for India in international matches and his guidance helped Dhanraj develop as a potent, speedy striker. He then moved over to Mahindra & Mahindra where he was tutored by the then Indian coach, Joaquim Carvalho
.
for the Maratha Warriors
for two seasons.
award for the year 1999-2000. He was awarded the Padma Shri
, a civilian award in 2000. Dhanraj is one of the most gifted forwards of his era with a small frame and flowing locks, he could wreak havoc in rival defences. He was the winning captain of the victorious Asian Games 2002 hockey team. He was awarded the player of the tournament award in the 2002 Champions trophy
held at Cologne
, Germany.
Pillay is currently involved in trying to start a hockey academy at Bombay. To raise funds for his academy he is heading a drive to collect empty plastic printer cartridges in Bombay and sell them to a European recycling firm.
. On receipt of the Khel Ratna, Pillai commented, "The award will help erase some bitter memories."
His plans to start a hockey academy at Mumbai have not taken off fully as Bombay Hockey Association has refused to allow its astroturf facility to be used for training.
Field hockey
Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
player and former captain of the Indian hockey team. He is currently the manager of the Indian Hockey team. Also he is a member of the adhoc committee of Indian Hockey Federation, formed after the suspension of Kanwar Pal Singh Gill
Kanwar Pal Singh Gill
Kanwar Pal Singh Gill served twice as Director General of Police Punjab, where he is credited with having brought the Punjab insurgency under control, and while the BBC reports that many see Gill as a hero, there are accusations that Gill and the forces under his command were responsible for...
.
Personal life
Dhanraj was born as the fourth son of Tamil parents Nagalingam Pillay and Andalamma at KhadkiKhadki
There is also an Andean instrument called the Kirki.Khadki is a city neighbourhood of Pune. It has an army base, two ordinance factories and several breweries....
in Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
. As a bachelor, he lived in Powai
Powai
Powai is a suburb situated in the north-east of the city of Mumbai, India. The word Powai comes from Padmavati a Hindu Goddess , whose temple is situated on the banks of Lake Powai...
while his parents lived in Khadki in Maharashtra.
He is fluent in Marathi
Marathi language
Marathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of western and central India. It is the official language of the state of Maharashtra. There are over 68 million fluent speakers worldwide. Marathi has the fourth largest number of native speakers in India and is the fifteenth most...
, Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
(his mother tongue), Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
.
Early life
Pillay spent his youth in the Ordnance Factory staff colony where his father was a groundsman. Playing on the soft, muddy surface of the OFK ground with his brothers and friends from the colony, he learnt his skills with broken sticks and discarded hockey balls, imitating the style of legendary forward and idol, Mohammed ShahidMohammed Shahid
Mohammed Shahid is a former field hockey player from India. A dashing forward with the ability to weave past any defence with his amazing dribbling skills. He was a member of the Indian team that won the gold medal at the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow and was captain of India during 1985-86...
. His mother, whom he gives all the credit for his success, encouraged all her five sons to play hockey despite leading a hand-to-mouth existence.
Dhanraj moved to Mumbai in the mid-eighties to join his elder brother Ramesh, who was playing for RCF in the Mumbai League. Ramesh had already played for India in international matches and his guidance helped Dhanraj develop as a potent, speedy striker. He then moved over to Mahindra & Mahindra where he was tutored by the then Indian coach, Joaquim Carvalho
Joaquim Carvalho
Joaquim da Silva Carvalho was a Portuguese football goalkeeper.He played for Sporting Clube de Portugal, where he won several titles of National Champion and the Cup of Portugal...
.
Debut
Dhanraj Pillay's debut in international hockey was in 1989 when he represented the nation in the Allwyn Asia Cup in New Delhi.International career
Dhanraj Pillay, whose career spanned from December 1989 to August 2004, played 339 international matches. The Indian Hockey Federation did not keeps official statistics for the goals scored. There is no credible information on the number of International goals scored by Dhanraj. He scored around 170 goals in his career, according to him as well as leading staticians in the world. He is the only player to have played in four Olympics (1992, 1996, 2000, and 2004), four World Cups (1990, 1994, 1998, and 2002), four Champions Trophies (1995, 1996, 2002, and 2003), and four Asian Games (1990, 1994, 1998, and 2002). India won the Asian Games (1998) and Asia Cup (2003) under his captaincy. He was also the highest goal scorer in the Bangkok Asian Games and was the only Indian player to figure in the World Eleven side during the 1994 World Cup at Sydney.Club Hockey
He has also played for foreign clubs like the Indian Gymkhana (London), HC Lyon (France), BSN HC & Telekom Malaysia HC (Malaysia), Abhahani Limited (Dhaka), HTC Stuttgart Kickers (Germany) and Khalsa Sports Club (Hong Kong). Towards the end of his career Dhanraj played in the Premier Hockey LeaguePremier Hockey League
The now defunct Premier Hockey League was a professional league competition for field Hockey clubs in the top division of the Indian hockey system. There were seven teams in the PHL. The competition was held every year from 2005 till 2008.-History:...
for the Maratha Warriors
Maratha Warriors
The Maratha Warriors are the Premier Hockey League team from Maharashtra, led by Captain Viren Rasquinha.-Players:The squad as of December 20th 2006 is as follows....
for two seasons.
Awards
He is the recipient of India's highest sporting honour, the Rajiv Gandhi Khel RatnaRajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna
The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna is India’s highest honour given for achievement in sports. The words "Khel Ratna" literally mean "Sports Gem" in Hindi. The award is named after the late Rajiv Gandhi, former Prime Minister of India. It carries a medal, a scroll of honour and a substantial cash...
award for the year 1999-2000. He was awarded the Padma Shri
Padma Shri
Padma Shri is the fourth highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan...
, a civilian award in 2000. Dhanraj is one of the most gifted forwards of his era with a small frame and flowing locks, he could wreak havoc in rival defences. He was the winning captain of the victorious Asian Games 2002 hockey team. He was awarded the player of the tournament award in the 2002 Champions trophy
2002 Men's Champions Trophy (field hockey)
The 2002 Men's Hockey Champions Trophy took place at the Rot Weiss Köln Hockey Club in Cologne, Germany. The event started on August 31 and ended on September 8, 2002...
held at Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
, Germany.
Pillay is currently involved in trying to start a hockey academy at Bombay. To raise funds for his academy he is heading a drive to collect empty plastic printer cartridges in Bombay and sell them to a European recycling firm.
Controversiess
Dhanraj is often described as mercurial and has had his share of controversies. Time and again, he has vented this ire against the Hockey Management. He was not selected for the Indian team after the triumph at the Bangkok Asiad. The official reason given was that Dhanraj and 6 other senior players were rested. But it was largely seen as a retaliation for his outburst against the management for improper reception and non-payment of match fees. He protested against the low team stipend on overseas tours before the 1998 series against PakistanPakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. On receipt of the Khel Ratna, Pillai commented, "The award will help erase some bitter memories."
His plans to start a hockey academy at Mumbai have not taken off fully as Bombay Hockey Association has refused to allow its astroturf facility to be used for training.