Not many times the unconditional ones find themselves during their lives in pure strokes of serendipity, leaving lasting impressions. In India’s burgeoning chess scene several years ago, a young national aspirant named Viswanathan Anand was looking for a foothold, and who should provide it!
We called ‘Vishy’, as he is affectionately called, to get the backstory. “There was a famous Telugu writer and poet named Mr. Aarudhra and he was also involved in chess… he raised the idea of sending a youth team to the national team championship. He asked Mr. SP Balasubrahmanyam to sponsor the team. That was our first connection, although I don’t think I met him then, ”the chess champion told CNN-News18 about the 1983 Chennai Colts championship.
Little did SPB know that his spontaneous act of sponsoring the chess team was an important cornerstone in Anand’s growth as a chess player; Back then, one would be considered really lucky to make it to these “breakthrough” events, Anand said. But that was our first connection. In fact, I don’t know if he realized it at the time … he probably did because Mr. Arudra should have told him, but that was my big event. That was the event that opened the senior Indian world to me so that I could play in the senior competition of being a junior … “
SPB’s warm personality shone through when he recognized Viswanathan Anand when they met at Hyderabad airport. “Surprisingly, I kept meeting him on airplanes and airports, at least 2-3 times that I remember. But once, when I was in Hyderabad, I saw him at the Hyderabad airport. So I went up to him and said ‘Nice to see you and by the way, I don’t know if you are aware of this or do you remember …’ but before I could complete my sentence, he said: ‘I remember very well. ‘So that was good for me. I was very flattered, ”finished Anand.
Anand joins a long list of people overwhelmed by SPB’s penchant for remembering people, however remote and fleeting their past interactions may have been. Anand and SPB had briefly met at exhibitions and conferences about it; each time, their friendship and warmth went up a bit. At an event hosted by actor and talk show host Suhasini Mani Ratnam, SPB had such sweet words to say and even sang a song in dedication to Anand. “He was very, very loving to me as if I were a young man I had to cheer on, and that meant a lot. I thought of him as a very, very kind soul and was really discouraged when I found out that he was ill. I was hoping he did well, but unfortunately he didn’t. “
“He was one of the nicest people I knew and he had a kind of kindness, warmth and simplicity. You can’t fake it. He was obviously real. He was very considerate and genuinely kind and cared about other people. I don’t know … you felt very well in his presence, he had that rare quality, “said the chess grandmaster.
Anand often hears Ennadi Meenakshi and Ilaya Nila, which are typical SPB songs: uplifting melodies that carry the chords of Ilayaraaja’s soulful musicality and are sung with SPB’s youthful verve and passion. Clearly, Anand, like many others after his passing, would inexorably relax with some of the SPB numbers, but it is unknown if there is an uplifting song to redeem a legion of grieving fans.
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