Dhanraj Pillay to be conferred East Bengal club's Bharat Gaurav award

Former India hockey skipper Dhanraj Pillay will be conferred East Bengal football club's highest honour -- Bharat Gaurav -- on its foundation day ceremony on August 1, the club's assistant general secretary Shanti Ranjan Dasgupta said.

"He has been a huge servant for Indian hockey. He has led by example on and off the field. The club is happy to be able to honour him," Dasgupta said.

Pillay has represented India in four Olympics, World Cups, Champions Trophy and Asian Games in his career spanning over 15 years. He is the recipient of India's highest sporting honour, the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award for the year 1999–2000. He was the captain of the 1998 Asian Games and 2003 Asia Cup winning hockey team. He was awarded the player of the tournament award in the 2002 Champions trophy held at Cologne, Germany.

The East Bengal club has chosen former India footballers -- Syed Nayeemuddin and Subhas Bhowmick -- for the Lifetime Achievement Awards at the function.