This is Anand’s parents – Photo from Rediff.com
‘I am a very proud mother; he is a very nice boy’
March 16, 2007
Susheela Viswanathan, Anand’s mother
It is legend now that Anand learnt the first moves of chess from his mother when he was a small boy. The lad has now become world No. 1.
Susheela, who taught Anand his first moves on the chess board, looks back on some unforgettable moments in the life of her youngest son.
Just five minutes before Anand finished his game against Vassily Ivanchuk of Ukraine at the Morelia-Linares chess tournament, I was watching the game on the Internet. I knew he had drawn the match. As Carlsen’s game against Leko was going on, I had no idea about the outcome of the tournament. So, when Anand rang up soon after his game and told me that he won the tournament, I asked him, how he could say that he had won the tournament. He said, ‘Even if Carlsen wins, he can only tie with me, and even then, I will be the number one.’
Soon after that, somebody rang up and asked us, ‘Is it true that Anand has become the world number one?’
I told him that unless I hear from authentic sources I will not comment.
Then started so many phone calls that repeated the same question.
When Anand rang up later in the evening, I asked him, “Is it true that you have become the world No 1? So many people are ringing us up.”
He replied: ‘Yes. It is true.’
Here is the full article from Anand’s Mother.
‘Anand had the potential and lived up to it’
March 16, 2007
Anand’s father Viswanathan
Viswanathan, Anand’s father goes back in time and talks about how he brought up his children, the discipline he instilled in them and some memorable moments.
Anand was a lovely child; a bundle of joy. If the family is disciplined, automatically children will grow up very disciplined in life. Similarly, there should be love among all the family members.
Though I was very busy working for the Railways, I kept Sundays for my children. I used to make breakfast for my children on Sundays. I used to make omelets for them, and they loved it. As my wife would not touch eggs, I took it as my duty to make it for them. I used to also play table tennis with them. After all that, we used to have an excellent lunch, made by their mother. When children see that their father is doing something for them, there develops an attachment, a strong bond.
For a child to develop well, there should be a happy environment at home. Since Anand was born 11 years after my daughter Anu, both my elder son and daughter loved him a lot. So, he grew up in an atmosphere of love and affection. I think that has made him a smiling person and he never talks ill or is critical of others.
Here is the full article from Anand’s Father.
I’m confused now. Is Anand his first name or last? Or is it Viswanathan. Does his father have same name ? Or is it Viswanathan Viswanathan. And why is his mother’s last name Anand’s first name. Maybe I should go back to bed… 🙂
Here are some principles that will clarify the naming system.
1) Among Tamils (and also some other ethnic groups in India), there are no family names.
2) People are known by their own given name.
3) In addition to their own name, people’s complete names also include the name of their father, which is placed _before_ the given name. Usually the father’s name is not spelled out in full but just given as an initial.
4) In addition, the full name can also include (but this is not compulsory) the name of the ancestral village or town where the family originally came from.
5) For women, there is an additional twist: when they marry, they use the name of their husband as their last name, and their own name becomes their first name.
Thus, in Anand’s case, Anand is his own name, and Viswanathan is his father’s name. So he is called V. Anand.
His mother is called Susheela Viswanathan because Susheela is her own name and Viswanathan is her husband’s name. Before she was married, she would have been known as [Initial]. Susheela (that is, her own name would have been her last name, and would have been preceded by an initial representing her father’s name).
In the case of the well-known Tamil violinist Lalgudi Jayaraman, Jayaraman is his own name and Lalgudi is the name of his ancestral village. Principle 2) above, which states that people are known by their own name, has an exception in the case of some well-known people who are often referred to by the name of their ancestral village. For example, people will often refer to Lalgudi Jayaraman as just Lalgudi. However, people are never referred to by their father’s name alone. Thus, calling Anand “Viswanathan” or “Vishy” is just a result of the fact that most non-Tamils don’t understand the Tamil naming system. However, since Anand is a celebrity, he could be referred to by the name of his ancestral village (if this name happens to be a part of his complete name).
“We also had an occasion to watch him play Kasparov. The first seven games were drawn, and then Anand won the eighth game. My goodness! You should have seen Kasparov’s behaviour. I said, ‘I don’t want Anand to win at all if that man is going to behave that way.’
He [Kasparov] was so abrupt after the game that he knocked out all the doors and made so much noise. He doesn’t take defeat like a sportsman.”
That’s hilarious.
@ Anonymous 10:52, Thank you for enlightening us all on the naming system; It was very informative.
Thanks for clarifying the naming issue!