Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa had won many hearts after fighting valiantly against World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen in the final of the Chess World Cup 2023. Magnus Carlsen defeated R Praggnanandhaa by 1.5-0.5 in the tie-break in Baku on August 24 after the classical games ended in a stalemate. Magnus prevailed against Praggnanandhaa in a thrilling tiebreak!
Praggnanandhaa who won the silver medal, secured a ticket to the FIDE Candidates tournament next year.
Following his phenomenal performance in the Chess World Cup 2023, which saw Praggnanandhaa become the third youngest player after the legendary Bobby Fischer and Carlsen to qualify for the Candidates tournament, congratulations and wishes poured in from across the nation. From PM Narendra Modi to Cricket master-blaster Sachin Tendulkar were among the few who congratulated this young champion on his fantastic acheivement.
Another such famous personality who was in awe of this young champion was Anand Mahindra - the chairman of Mahindra Group, who was seen cheering the young Indian lads at every step of the 2023 Chess World Cup. From the beginning of the tournament till the finals, Anand Mahindra was seen applauding the talent of R Praggnanandhaa.
Less than a week after the final, many netizens on Twitter were seen requesting the chairman of Mahindra Group to gift the Indian grandmaster a Mahindra SUV or a Mahindra Thar as a token of appreciation for the efforts put in by R Praggnanandhaa and his family.
Anand Mahindra finally responded to one such request and shared another idea, tagging Rajesh Jejurikar who is the Executive Director and CEO (Auto and Farm Sector) of Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd he spoke of gifting an XUV400 EV. He wrote -
Appreciate your sentiment, Krishlay, & many, like you, have been urging me to gift a Thar to @rpragchess. But I have another idea … I would like to encourage parents to introduce their children to Chess & support them as they pursue this cerebral game (despite the surge in popularity of video games!). It's an investment in a better future for our planet, just like EVs. And so, I think we should gift an XUV4OO EV to the PARENTS of @rpragchess Shrimati Nagalakshmi & Shri Rameshbabu, who deserve our gratitude for nurturing their son's passion & for giving him their untiring support. What do you think, @rajesh664
Rajesh Jejurikar was quick to respond to his chairman's request and also acknowledged his idea of recognising and rewarding the parents and their hard work - while congratulating Praggnanandhaa, he wrote,
Congratulations @rpragchess for your spectacular achievement. Thanks @anandmahindra for the idea of recognising PARENTS of @rpragchess Shrimati Nagalakshmi & Shri Rameshbabu.The All Electric SUV XUV400 would be perfect-our team will connect for a special edition and delivery.
R Praggnanandhaa duly responded to this gesture by the Mahindra group executives and expressed his gratitude and also for fulfilling his parents' long term dream of owning an electric vehicle. He wrote,
'No words to express my Gratitude Thankyou very much @anandmahindra sir and @rajesh664 sir It is a long term dream of my parents to own an EV car thanks for making it a reality!'
Mahindra XUV400 EV is the first all-electric SUV from the house of Mahindra which offers a compelling proposition of superior performance, design, space and technology.
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