Chess not just a man’s game: When PM Modi’s words of praise inspired 9-year-old Vantika Agrawal

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently hosted India’s young chess players at his official residence over their heroic feat at the 45th Chess Olympiad in Budapest as both the men’s and women’s teams clinched their maiden gold medals.

Vantika Agarwal, one of the Chess Olympiad winners on Thursday recalled her story of meeting the then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi in 2012 and how his words left her deeply inspired.

She also said that she was elated to know that PM Modi remembered her birthday.

"My birthday was on September 20 and PM sir remembered it. I couldn't believe he remembered my birthday. When I was 9 years old, he organised a mega event in Gujarat. At that time, I had won two gold medals in the Asian Championships.”

“I was felicitated by Narendra Modi ji. It was only then I decided that I would keep giving my blood and sweat to bring laurels to the nation,” she said.

The video has been shared by Modi Archive, a popular handle on X. It has also shared an old photograph of the then 9-year-old Vantika Agrawal and shared her note in which she wrote, ‘Thank you sir for motivating me to reach this height.’

The popular handle in an earlier post highlighted PM Modi's passion for the game as he met the Indian men's and women's teams.

During his tenure as Chief Minister of Gujarat in 2009, he made chess a mandatory subject in schools in Ahmedabad district, with plans to expand this initiative statewide in the following years.

In 2012, to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, the Gujarat Chief Minister organised 'Swami Vivekananda Mahila Chess Mahotsav', aimed at breaking stereotypes. The tournament saw participation from more than 3,500 women chess players, along with more than 1,250 Divyangjans.