PM Narendra Modi interacted with Indian men’s and women’s teams which clinched their maiden gold medals in the 45th Chess Olympiad on September 22.
Chess grandmaster Vidit Gujrathi told ANI, “He took out time for us even amid such a busy schedule. He encouraged us a lot…What more can we say when the PM appreciates us after such a good performance…”
Chess grandmaster Vantika Agrawal said, “My birthday falls on 28th Sept and he remembers this. He asked me what would I do after 3 days. I was delighted. I could not believe that he remembered my birthday…”
Chess grandmaster Tania Sachdev informed, “We learnt a lot from him from his experiences – how to handle pressure. His affinity for sports & this meeting left us with great passion…”
Chess grandmaster D Gukesh quipped, “The way he remembered Vantika’s birthday, showed how much he really cares and knows about the sports & players…”
Chess grandmaster Vaishali Rameshbabu said, “When I introduced myself, the first thing he asked me was – where is your brother and how are your parents. It felt really good. It was really nice of him to remember…”
Chess grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa told ANI, “Sir has lot of knowledge about various things…He makes us comfortable and I think that is very important.”
Chess grandmaster Harika Dronavalli said, “After some time, we got so involved into the conversation that we forgot that we are speaking with the Prime Minister. He is so down to earth. I will remember this experience forever.”
Chess grandmaster Divya Deshmukh told ANI, “It didn’t feel that he is the Prime Minister. He was so humble and made sure that everyone was comfortable. The atmosphere was so chill. One thing that stood out for me was how humble he is despite being the PM…”
Chess grandmaster Abhijit Kunte said, “PM had a lot of interest that this is a unique feat that both teams won. The whole world should get to know of this…”