His heart beats for cricket and everyday he gets up in the morning fantasising about the game. 12-year-old Aravindh Chithambaram spends most of his time swinging the different bowling styles and practicing batting strokes with anything and everything that comes handy -- for that matter he doesn’t even mind using water bottles, stones or anything that fits his tiny hands.
But for the fact, even though he might be a cricketer at heart, it’s the game of sixty-four squares that has given him the recognition and glory. He is excelling in the game of chess and is not only the National Junior Chess Champion in under-19 category, but is also the second seed in World Chess Rankings in under-12 age group.
Belonging to a small town Madurai in Tamil Nadu, he grew up with a dream of becoming a cricketer and tried his best to get into the academy as well. But a diminutive physique and sort height denied him admission even at the local level. 
Living in a small family of three, including grandparents and mother and having lost his father at a very early age, Aravindh always lacked company to follow his passion for cricket. But soon he found succour on the chessboard as he got attracted to the game while giving company to his aging grandfather.
“I started playing when I was eight-year-old. My grandfather was unfit to play cricket and that left me with the only option to play chess with him. Then I started playing chess at school and state level and soon started excelling in it. Now I devote time to the training at Ghouse sir’s academy every day. I love the Chess but my heart will always remain with cricket,” giggles the kid.
Aravindh, the only son of Mrs VR Deivanai, was born after 14 years of her marriage, but the boy soon lost his father, who died of a sudden heart-attack. 51-year-old Deivanai works at a local post office as an agent to manage her household and Aravindh’s training on a meagre salary.
“I have applied for sponsorship recently. Though he is barred from major expenses by the state government on the basis of his achievements, but every time I have to travel with him and it becomes very difficult for me. I love him dearly and cannot let him travel alone. For the coming World Championship in Brazil, just the ticket would cost me somewhere around one-and-a-half lakhs of rupees. I’m living for his dream because he is the only one I have,” said an emotional mother.
Seeing his passion for cricket, his mother did try to get him into an academy, but the nearest cricket academy too was not a feasible option, as being only parent it was not possible for her to take him to the academy on a regular basis.
“I always wanted him to play an individual sport because then it just depends on one’s performances. With so much politics in cricket and also that we have fewer academies in our district (Madurai), it so happened that I took him to a nearby chess academy. He has a sharp pick up and practical moves, which suits the game very well. As the destiny played its game, he has been excelling well on the national and the international level too.” added Deivanai.
Earlier this year, Aravindh won the Under-19 National Junior Championship and if things go as expected, the kid may turn out to be the youngest Grandmaster of the country. In the sole international participation at the Asian Youth Championship 2011, U-12, held at Philippines, Aravindh brought home a silver medal.
“He is a blessed child. When he was in studies, he was a brilliant student. Now that he has divided his attention to chess, he is excelling in that too. He believes in giving his 100 per cent to whatever he does. Unlike other boys, he is quite interested in co curricular activities too. He sings Tamil songs pretty well,” informed a family friend.
Initially when he was under a different coach, he use to learn chess only for an hour per week and with that little devotion to chess he bagged fourth place in the state championship. But from the past two years he is under the training of renowned coach Ghouse Kamardeen, who is running his residential chess academy from the past 20 years in Madurai.
“He came with his mother to my academy two years back. I tested him initially and found him good enough with some flaws here and there. I used to charge Rs 300 for a day but I charged him only Rs 10,000 for 300 days, considering the tough financial conditions of the family after his father passed away. Right after the initial days of coaching, he excelled at the Asian Youth Championship 2011. He is unique and sharp but needs more polishing. I’m sure he’ll soon become a Grandmaster. I’m glad I get to invest my knowledge on a kid like him,” said Kamardeen.
Holding so many national titles at 12 years of age is no easy deal. The down-to-earth, calm and shy lad wishes to return back everything possible to his world -- his mother. He eyes at becoming youngest ever Grandmaster. He sleeps, eats and talks cricket but wishes to earn more laurels on the checker board in the coming years.
By Akshi Aggarwal
Indian Sports News
{module[47]}
