At the same time R. Pragnananda’s growth is amazing for a chess player. Credit must also be given to his parents for making him achieve such great feats at such a young age. Pragnananda goes to Vedil for competitions accompanied by mother Nagalakshmi. This mother and son duo has been in the hearts of sports fans for the past few days. After Pragga made it to the semi-finals of the FIDE World Cup, the sporting world had earlier taken over the image of mother Nagalakshmi smiling with pride.
Behind Pragnananda’s achievements are years of hard work. But father Ramesh Babu points out that credit should also be given to his mother for these achievements. It is difficult for Ramesh Babu to travel due to polio. So it is Nagalakshmi who accompanies Pragya, including on foreign trips. Nagalakshmi herself takes the initiative to ensure that Pragga’s classes run smoothly and that the house is suitable for training.
Nagalakshmi carries an induction stove and rice cooker with her when she goes for tournaments. This is to provide home-cooked meals to his son, even though he is thousands of kilometers away from home.
In fact there is a story behind Pragnananda turning to chess as a child. Vaishali, Pragnananda’s sister, had more TV views. Her parents sent her to learn chess in order to reduce this habit as it could affect her studies. Little Pragga started playing chess with her sister. When Pragya started taking chess seriously, his parents decided to send him to tournaments. What happened next is history.
Talking to the Press Trust of India the other day, his father Ramesh Babu had said that Pragnananda was fond of home-made food. Because of this, he and his mother would take stove, rice and spices with them on their travels. Ramesh Babu recalls that the first thing Pragga’s mother Nagalakshmi packed was a rice cooker and spices when she went to Azerbaijan this time for the World Chess Championship. He says that with this, Pragga can eat rice and rasam in Azerbaijan as well.
Nagalakshmi also ensures that the home environment is conducive to chess practice. If his children are in intensive training, they may not even be ready to receive guests at home. At such times, they would welcome guests in the parking lot. Pragga’s house has a TV only during dinner. And that too for a few minutes. Yes, R Pragnananda’s family should also be applauded for growing up to be India’s proud star.
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