It’s not simply the trophies and titles that make Vishwanathan Anand’s house in Chennai extraordinary; it’s the memory-filled life the Anands appear to have lived.
His spouse, Aruna, welcomes the viewers with straightforward heat, and it rapidly turns into clear that she’s the household’s storyteller. Pointing to their many chess units, she says, “Each has a narrative. This one right here, it’s 27 kilos. Anand didn’t need to carry it from Mexico, however I informed him, ‘I don’t thoughts leaving you behind, however I’m not leaving this chessboard behind.’” She laughs, remembering how Anand carried it on his lap all the way in which house.
That board is only one of many. The Tamil Nadu authorities gifted a puzzle-like set after his first world title. A Spanish one from the city they lived in, wealthy with Islamic and Jewish patterns. One other set from Chile with statues and lapis lazuli. However the Mexico board stays Aruna’s favorite. “My favorite is that this 27 kg. Not as a result of it’s very lovely—however as a result of Anand needed to carry all of it the way in which from Mexico,” she stated.
Then there’s a wierd, rotating piece that appears like a chessboard however may need as soon as been one thing else—perhaps a writing desk. They discovered it in Anand’s childhood house after his father handed away. “I don’t know the place it got here from. It simply confirmed up in his home sooner or later,” Aruna says.
One set that holds deep which means was constructed from paper. “These chess items had been performed in origami by Arvind Sundar, an artist my son actually admires,” she explains. “We reached out to him with out saying who we had been, simply informed him our son was a fan. He came visiting, spent three hours with him, and solely later realised Anand was his father.”
The artist’s kindness clearly left a long-lasting impression. Aruna smiles, “It was so touching… somebody of his expertise spending time with a younger boy like that.”
A lot of the house is crammed with their son’s paintings. He loves Indian folks types, and his work typically combine nature, mythology, and maths. One reveals the Gajendra Moksha story—a well-known story the place an elephant calls out to Lord Vishnu whereas being attacked by a crocodile—utilizing one thing referred to as Penrose tiles, a sort of geometric sample.
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“It’s one in every of my favourites,” Aruna says. “I really like the colors. And the way in which he connects maths and tales—it’s lovely.”
One other piece is impressed by how tiger cubs recognise their moms by their stripes. “He thought it was superb. Even animals use patterns.”
In one other a part of the home, Anand’s trophies are displayed—every one a bit of his journey. From the Arjuna Award in 1985 to his World Championship wins in 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2012. There’s even a particular trophy from 2012, constructed from printed metallic sheets, every exhibiting key video games from chess historical past.
“This was my first large worldwide win,” Anand says, pointing to the World Junior Champion title in 1987. “It was the primary time my title appeared within the paper.”
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He laughs as he remembers skipping meeting the day his title was introduced in class—and getting referred to as to the principal’s workplace due to it. “I assumed I used to be in bother. Turned out, they simply needed to know who I used to be.”
Outdoors, their backyard holds one thing extra private—crops introduced from Anand’s mother and father’ home after they handed away. “They’ve settled in right here like they belong,” Aruna says softly. “At any time when a flower blooms, I keep in mind how his mom used to choose it each morning.”
Her morning routine begins right here: espresso, watering the crops, and hoping her son makes it to highschool on time.
“That’s how the day begins,” she says with a smile.