[1]Xerox, the company which produces copying machines, metamorphosed into a generic name to denote the process of copying from paper to paper. Likewise, Viswanathan Anand and chess have become synonymous in India ever since he started his productive journey in the mind game three decades ago.
He has achieved everything there is in world chess. Anand continues to raise the bar. His excellence could be a nightmare for journalists, as they are saddled with the challenge of avoiding clichés to describe his resplendent performances.
To veer away from the beaten path and commemorate Anand’s fifth world title, Deccan Chronicle chose to focus on the number Five. We threw a number of fives to Anand and he answered all of them with his characteristic passion and sincerity. Read on to find the unexplored side of the Tiger from Madras.
Favourite food
1. Rasam
2. Guacamole
3. Rosetta with mushroom
4. Sushi
5. Curd
Favourite countries
1. Mexico
2. Spain
3. Iceland
4. South Africa
5. Chile
What makes Chennai special
1. Beach
2. South Indian restaurants
3. Music festival
4. School friends
5. Home
Favourite Movies
1. Roja (because Arvindsamy was his classmate)
2. A Few Good Men
3. Terminator
4. The King's Speech
5. Lord of the Rings
What makes him proud about India
1. Booming economy
2. Illustrious people known all over the world
3. Diversity
4. Is fast shedding its stereotypical image
5. Is slowly becoming an acknowledged sporting nation
Languages known
1. Tamil
2. English
3. French
4. German
5. Spanish
Favourite Actors
1. Rajinikanth
2. Kamal Haasan
3. Aamir Khan
4. Madhuri Dixit
5. Sridevi
Things he would need if he is stranded in an island
1. Internet connection
2. Laptop with indefatigable batteries
3. Sudoku puzzles
4. Margherita (Kind of pizza)
5. Wife Aruna’s phone number
Has great hopes on
1. B. Adhiban
2. S.P. Sethuraman
3. D. Harika
4. M. Mahalakshmi
5. Vaibhav Suri
Chess players he likes
1. Bobby Fischer
2. Mikhail Tal
3. Boris Gelfand
4. Ljubomir Ljubojevic
5. Vladimir Kramnik
Favourite Authors
1. Dan Brown
2. Simon Singh
3. J.K. Rowling
4. Richard Dawkins
5. William Dalrymple
People he idolises
1. Mahatma Gandhi
2. Nelson Mandela
3. Ratan Tata
4. Steve Jobs
5. Martin Luther King
Unforgettable moments
1. Becoming a GM
2. Winning the world junior championship
3. 1st world title
4. Winning the Eurotel event in 2002
5. Moscow triumph
Sportspersons he admires
1. John McEnroe
2. Lionel Messi
3. Zinedine Zidane
4. Roger Federer
5. Rafael Nadal
Sports he follows
1. Tennis
2. Football
3. Snooker
4. Cricket
5. Basketball
World titles in his words
* 2000 (New Delhi/ Tehran). It was special because it was my first and a part of the event was played in New Delhi
* 2007 (Mexico City). Important as a world championship was played in a tournament format since 1948
* 2008 (Bonn). I filled up a hole on my CV by winning it in a match format
* 2010 (Sofia). A hostile match played under hostile conditions.
* 2012 (Mocow). A match played in the spirit of the game at the heart of chess.
Wife Aruna’s take on champ Anand
Aruna has become a constant in Anand’s entourage ever since he tied the knot in 1996. Here is her take on the five-time world champion.
What makes Anand special
1. Humility
2. Sense of humour
3. Ability to shut out criticisms
4. Focus
5. Pragmatism
Things people may not know about Anand
1. Loves to play pranks
2. Loves roller-coasters
3. Likes bright colours
4. Likes firecrackers
5. Has a fine sense of humour
Qualities of Anand that may not be ideal
1. Absentmindedness
2. Humble to a fault
3. Can’t put up with unpleasant situations
4. Rapid-fire decision making
5. Drifts very easily
Links:
[1] http://archive.asianage.com/maskjpgcropdisplayjpg-554