 "I
hope to see you all again as a Woman Grand Master," were the words of a delighted
Aarthie in an emotionally moving speech on a Sunday evening at the packed Media Hall of
Nehru Stadium, Chennai. The Chennai Chess queen and World Under-18 Champion Aarthie
Ramaswamy was felicitated in a function organised by the Tamil Nadu Chess Association
which presented her a cheque for Rs. One lakh. The Pentafour Software group were one up on
the others with a generous gesture, presenting the champion with a "Pentafour
notebook computer". The Sunday, Dec. 5, 1999, was Aarthie's day, as the
Chess fraternity whole-heartedly showered its love and admiration for her grand success.
Present on the occasion were a host of dignitaries who congratulated the World Champion,
the second from Chennai after Viswanathan Anand's triumph in the Junior World
Championship, in 1987. It has been twelve long years, but the TNCA left no stone unturned
to make it an occasion worth remembering. In Tamil parlance, it is the blossoming of the
"KURINJI" flower once in twelve years, a rare one at that. For someone who has
been on the verge of delivering, it was really coming of age, and truly, she has made all
the Indians proud of her feat.
 Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Guest, Mr. N. Murali, Joint Managing
Director, The Hindu, praised Aarthie for her glorious achievement and wished that more
corporate sponsorship would come in the way of Chess in view of this enormous feat. He
added, " Chennai used to be known as the house of Tennis, but with the exploits of
Manuel Aaron, Viswanathan Anand and Aarthie it could also be considered as a home of
Chess."
 Ms. Shanthini
Kapoor, Member Secretary, Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu, in her address
expressed surprise at the plain-looking champion. She said, " I am happy to be here.
I see on the dais a young and simple girl, which is surprising. And I can see the champion
stuff has not gone into her and she is very level headed. I will do my best to support the
game and I'm proud that she is a girl."
 In
what could be seen as the move of the day, Mr. V. Chandrasekar, Chairman, Pentafour Group
of Companies presented Aarthie with a "Pentafour notebook computer". Praising
Aarthie for her remarkable achievement, he said, " I was moved when I read the
interview in 'Sportstar' where she had expressed her keenness to possess a personal
computer. I hope the new computer would inspire her to more laurels."
Earlier, Mr. J. C. D. Prabakaran, Vice President, TNCA d eputising for the President, Dr. N. Mahalingam,
appealed to the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu for more support for Chess from
the State Government, and special attention to be given to Aarthie to nurture her enormous
talent. In addition, Dr. N Mahalingam, President of TNCA, who could not attend the
function owing to ill health, sent word through Mr. Manuel Aaron that he was giving
Aarthie a purse of Rs. 2500 every month for the next two years from January next.
Mr. Manuel Aaron, Secretary, TNCA, and also the coach of
the victorious Indian contingent in Spain , observed, "I have never
seen a girl more composed. She took the penultimate round defeat in her stride and was
looking forward to the final round very evenly. The next day she was cool & collected
and played a great game to become the champion. And I'm confident she'd become a Woman
Grand Master in the near future."
Mr. D. V. Sundar, a former officer bearer of TNCA, and
Vice President, All India Chess Federation, gave the introductions. And in the words of
Mr. Aaron, Secretary, TNCA, "Sundar was the man who was instrumental in making the
collections into a significant contribution, that touched a high of Rs. one lakh."
In her reply to the felicitations, a visibly moved
Aarthie quipped, "I tha nk the TNCA for all the
help they have offered. If I am standing in front you, it's not because of my effort
alone. There were a lot of persons behind my success like my parents, coaches, friends and
others."
By organising the felicitation in a grand manner, the
Tamil Nadu Chess Association showed that it is in no way behind others when the occasion
demands. It surely deserves a pat on the back for giving Aarthie a felicitation that is to
be long remembered. And ultimately, the champ 'made the evening' for those who had eagerly
gathered to share in her achievement and wish her well for the coming years! |
