India’s Chess Olympiad gold medalist Vantika Agrawal called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday. For her, the meeting was special because PM Modi as CM of Gujarat had honoured her after she won the Asian Under-9 Championship Gold at nine years of age.
Remembering her feat of yesteryear years and appreciation by PM Modi, Vantika said: “Sir, when you motivated me, I felt so motivated and happy. I then decided to give my all to chess and win more medals for India.” She shared that she went on to win two gold medals at the Asian Championships. PM Modi, then CM, had presented her with accolades. Knowing that he remembered her birthday falling on September 28 thrilled her the most. During the meeting, Vantika gifted PM Modi a framed picture as she was being honored by him as a child. The reason behind the gesture speaks to indicate just what his encouragement meant in her journey.
PM Modi recalled hosting a grand chess event he had hosted as Chief Minister. He said he had organized a huge tournament with the participation of 20,000 players. “Everyone including officials used to wonder why I was spending so much money, but I wanted to promote chess,” he said. He arranged a big venue for that with the utmost importance given to the game.
In the aftermath of the victory, Harika Dronavalli shared those joyful moments with media persons after emerging victorious. “It was a grand celebration, and even the opponents congratulated us for it,” she said. And underlined the sporting spirit between competitors. “Every opponent present there came and congratulated us,” she said.
Teen chess whiz and grandmaster Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa spoke to the media representing the men’s team on how AI has modified the game of chess. “With AI, chess is evolving. New technology comes up, and computers show us new ideas,” he said. That, in return, helps players learn and modify their moves accordingly.
Similarly, Vidit Gujarathi chimed in with Praggnanandhaa as he spoke about the help from AI tools to prepare. He even spoke about the rising popularity of chess. “There was pressure, but seeing so much support from the audience was a great feeling,” the player observed. Fans came all the way to see the games, boosting the morale of the team.
The team member Tania Sachdev said in an interview: “Well, we narrowly missed gold, having lost to the USA in the last match. This was a huge motivating factor during our rematch this time.”
In all, the meeting emphasized encouragement and support in sports. The road of Vantika to fame, as well as the successes of her teammates, is a bright example of how passion and dedication pay off on the global podium.
ANI