Aclass IX student of the national capital’s prestigious Delhi Public School, R.K. Puram, Kartik Sawhney, despite being visually challenged, is the recipient of many national and international awards and prizes. On November 14, 2009 (Children’s Day) he added another accolade to his already impressive tally of awards by winning the National Child Award for Exceptional Achievements of the Union ministry of women and child develop-ment. The lone winner from Delhi state, Kartik was among 25 children selected nationwide for exceptional achievements in academics, art, culture and sports. Shruti S. of Karnataka was awarded the gold medal for her exceptional skills in drawing and painting while all others including Kartik, were silver medalists.
“The award for academics came as the greatest surprise of them all (awards) thus far,” says this 16-year-old who has been consistently topping his class for four consecutive years. Attributing his success to the collaborative efforts of his parents, school and friends, Karthik believes that his academic and co-curricular feat could well be an inspiration for parents, teachers and children themselves to overcome physical challenges and mainstream their lives. He also acknowledges the Delhi-based National Association for Blind’s pivotal role in boosting his self-confidence. “I trained at the association on specially designed computer software,” he says.
Exceptional scholarship apart, young Kartik is also a gifted singer with many stage performances to his credit. A trained Hindustani classical vocalist, in 2007 he was invited to join the Global Children’s Choir for Peace in Vienna, Austria. “I have trained for four years in Hindustani classical music. But music is a hobby rather than a career option. My goal is to enter one of the IITs and qualify as a software tech-nology professional,” he says.
Kartik is already preparing for this vocation. In 2002 he won a gold medal in computer skills, speed and accuracy in a national competition organised by the National Abilympics Association of India and was ranked first in the 8th National Cyber Olympiad, besides securing 4th rank in the International Informatics Olympiad, 2008. Kartik is also an ambassador of the children’s advisory board of Plan India, an NGO working for the protection of children’s rights. For challenged children and youth across the country, this multi-skilled young achiever has useful advice. “Don’t lose heart and faith in yourself. Everything is possible.”
Right on!
Autar Nehru (Delhi)
S.P. Sethuraman
.gif)
Chennai-based International Master S.P. Sethuraman (15) is still basking in the afterglow of winning the gold medal in the under-16 World Youth Chess Championship held at Anatalya, Turkey last November (2009). This class XII commerce student of the port city’s well-known Velammal Matriculation Higher Secondary School, competed with 13 players and defeated fellow Indian International Master Vidit Santosh Gujarati in tie-breaks to make it 1-2 for India.
The elder of two sons of former national chess champion S. Panaiappan and homemaker P. Deivanai who are currently full-time chess coaches and run the Kilpauk Chess Academy and Mogappair Chess Centre in Chennai, Sethuraman started playing this complex mind game at the age of five. By the time he was 11, he had won the under-13 national championship (2004) at Vijaywada.
From then on there’s been no stopping this chess prodigy, who has blazed ahead winning several national and international championships. Among them: the gold medal at the Asian Youth Championship in Singa-pore (2004); gold medal at the national sub-junior championships held in Mumbai (2005). In 2007 after he was awarded the International Master title by FIDE, he struck gold again in the World Youth Chess Olympiad in Turkey in 2008 and in the National Junior Championship held in Chennai in 2009; secured his first Grand Master norm at the Seventh Parsvnath International Chess Tournament held in Delhi in 2009, before winning the world under-16 title in Turkey last November.
Though the passion for deft moves on the chequer board runs in the family, Sethuraman is a believer in practice being the prerequisite of success. “I practice everyday for five hours when I don’t have school exams, solve chess-related puzzles and review the games played by grandmaster Anand Viswanathan. My schedule also includes meditation, yoga and exercising at the gym to develop concentration, calm and patience,” says the young International Master.
The past two years have been very hectic for this budding chess champ who has had to balance national and international travel with his class X and forthcoming class XII board exams. The Velammal school management has been very supportive and the Sports Autho-rity of India sponsors his coaching and travel. “Though I plan to complete higher studies, my superordinate ambition is to follow in the footsteps of Grandmaster and world champ Viswanathan Anand. And I want to become a Grandmaster in the next one year,” he says determinedly.
Power to your elbow!
Hemalatha Raghupathi (Chennai)