King Anand gets world class welcome

With the sounds of the chenda traditional Kerala drums, the mridangam and the nadaswaram greeting him and hordes of school children, a few inmates of a spastic home, fans, family, friends and members of the public hailing his world title in Mexico, holding aloft placards and posters, Anand returned to his home-city along with wife Aruna, flushed with the excitement of the rousing reception.

8220;I never dreamt I would receive such a welcome. I am happy to see so many children and it feels great to be back with my family again,8221; said Anand, unmindful of fans crowding around him, seeking his attention.

8220;The championship was fantastic. I will take a week8217;s rest and then prepare for the next tournament in Holland in January,8221; he added.

But there was more in store as Anand was driven to Kasturba Nagar in South Chennai and made to get on to the chariot, with four ceremonial 8216;sepoys8217; on horse-back leading a long procession which wove its way through a part of the city. As his chariot clip-clopped through the posh Indira Nagar locality before joining the main Adyar road, Anand was greeted with bouquets and greetings.

Residents poured out on to balconies and clapped as he passed by. Bhau Padsalgikar, 90, a former national chess player hailing from Sangli, Maharashtra, reached Chennai on Tuesday night to meet Anand and take part in the procession. Keeping brisk pace with the chariot, Padsalgikar heartily shook Anand8217;s hands, congratulating him for his achievement.

Employees of banks and other commercial establishments along the route, members of the local ladies8217; clubs, all dressed up for the occasion, waited on the roadside with bouquets for Anand. Large crowds stood on the pavements to take pictures on their cell-phones or just grab autographs.

As autorickshaw drivers pulled over to shout out his name and congratulate him, occupants of passing cars and buses flashed the thumbs-up. Students of a few city schools joined the procession, holding aloft posters hailing 8216;Vishy, the lightning kid,8217; with a crown on his head, placed on chess pieces.

The four-odd kilometres to his residence in Customs Colony in Besant Nagar was 8220;an awesome experience,8221; Anand told The Indian Express, smiling happily.

Asked which experience he liked better, a similar reception accorded to him in the year 2000 when he won the championship or the present one, Anand quipped: 8220;Both are great.8221;

A family member of Manual Aaron, general secretary of the Tamil Nadu state chess association, presented him with an album of photographs of the 2000 reception.

A large gathering of family and friends greeted him at the entrance of the house, with mother Susila Vishwanathan welcoming him with the traditional aarti, and pumpkin with camphor lit on it.

8220;I don8217;t have words to describe how I feel. The whole journey was fantastic. It was an unbelievable reception,8221; Anand told reporters at his home.