‘Intellectual curiosity and love for arts and culture make Chennai stand out’

I think intellectual curiosity and love for the arts, music, sports and other cultural activities is where Chennai stands out for me. I remember that Chennai used to be ‘the place’ for chess, as much as it used to be for tennis or cricket. The city has passionate communities of fans. This interest in culture and the arts is a trait that we have retained, said Vishwanathan Anand, chess grandmaster.

Such traits constantly evolve, especially when a new taste is acquired. Apart from their profession, people here develop interest in various other subjects such as history, art, or even music. People here are intellectually curious.

So how do you pay a tribute to this trait? It is probably happening already, since people have consistently been passing on their love for different subjects to the next generation. We cannot compare the pre-internet era with the way things are done now, but every community understands the way it is to be done: you develop a love for the discipline and bring yourself over to pursue it passionately.

I remember the days when Chess was niche; it started as culture clubs that were quite open. And this helped me in the early days. Here, specialised interests have a home, and slowly, the city discovers it.

(As told to Saptarshi Bhattacharjee)