Anand Mahindra shared a clip of the dance performance on social media
At the 44th Chess Olympiad is being hosted by Tamil Nadu, various districts have come up with ways to celebrate and promote the game. Among them, the district of Pudukkottai has impressed one and all with a dance performance that has gone viral on social media. The performance combines classical, folk and martial art elements in the choreography that shows various chess pieces coming to life and engaging in a battle on the chess board.
The video of the dance performance, choreographed by Pudukkottai Collector Kavitha Ramu, has gone viral on social media, earning praise from all quarters. Among those appreciating the performance is industrialist Anand Mahindra. The chairman of Mahindra Group shared the video and wrote, “Superb. Choreographed, I'm told, by Ms Kavitha Ramu, Collector Pudukkottai. Makes the chess pieces come alive in our imagination. Also, it has authenticity, given the game was invented in India. Bravo!”
Last week, a clip of the performance was shared by the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, MK Stalin along with the details in a series of tweets. In two tweets, Mr Stalin explained, “District administrations have taken various initiatives to promote #chessolympiad22. This beautiful video is by District Administration, Pudukkottai in which Classical, Folk, Mal Yutham and Silambam artists magically transport us to a World of creative fantasy, transforming into live Chess Characters, enacting the essence of the game in its true spirit.”
Replying to Mr Mahindra's post, several users echoed his sentiment and praised the performance. “For all the chess enthusiasts. A visual treat,” a user said.
“The Indian game coming to life -- Chess pieces as per their original tradition,” another comment said.
"Mind-blowing. One of the best example to show how powerful can be performing art like acting, choreography, music, shooting. Why can't we use it in primary education of kids to build their concepts?" one user wrote.
The 44th Chess Olympiad was inaugurated on July 28 at Chennai's Nehru Indoor Stadium in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister MK Stalin.