BY DR. SUVARNA BAPAT 

 

SENSATIONAL news caused me to raise my eyebrow over the morning tea. It was a proud moment for India as Vaishali Ramesh Babu was crowned the Grand Master at open chess tournament in Spain. She is the third Indian woman Grand Master after Koneru Humpy and Harika Dronavalli. Vaishali is Praggnanandhaa elder sister. Praggnanandhaa popularly known as Pragg started making waves in the chess tournaments at an early age. Praggnanandhaa is the youngest chess player from Indian who was the finalist of the World Cup who created a sensation all around the world. Vaishali and Pragg have become history’s first ever Grand Master brother and sister pair. Pragg has become the world’s youngest International Master. Due to Praggs name and fame Vaishali was earlier called as Praggs sister. Now she has left that tag behind. She has proved her worth. She has proved her identity now. Vaishali and Pragg are children of Mr. Ramesh Babu and Naga Laxmi. They belong to a humble back ground. Mr. Ramesh Babu father of Vaishali and Pragg is a bank manager and his mother is a simple homemaker who took efforts in shaping their career. She was the one who shifted the big brains liking from cartoons to chess. She guided their potential in the best way. She crafted their dreams which soon came true.

 

Like any other child Pragg and Vaishali were fond of cartoons which is a sort of addiction that every child goes through in his or her childhood. Just to divert their attention Naga Laxmi enrolled them in the game of chess. It is said that “Behind every successful man there is a woman”. In Praggs life too his mother has always been there with him. She is always their back stage praying for his success. Naga Laxmi accompanies Praggs to every tournament he plays. Being a homemaker in itself is a designation. She does multi-tasking from being Praggs chef, spiritual guru, motivator, manager and much more. Praggnanandhaa calls her mom his backbone. Like on the board of chess Queen is the most powerful piece as she can move any number of squares in any direction to create a win win situation. In actual life too the Queen Naga Laxmi leaves no stone unturned to ensure the success of her children.

 

The hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world. This phrase underlines the power within the women. She is shy, soft, gentle, and polite. And at the same time contrast to it she has huge power to influence the generations. Mother has a great influence on the child in the formative years. She is the one who up brings the child in such a way so as to stand tall in a crowd. Naga Laxmi is one such example. Our best wishes are with the duo pair. May they have many feathers in their cap. May they reach new heights. Best wishes to Nagga Laxmi who has been like a strong pillar to her children. May all her prayers come true.