Vishwanathan Anand has hardly to play chess games inside his house.
Kala has taken a large part of space at its magnificent residence in Kotturapuram, Chennai. If a painting of Lord Hayagriva is located next to a fancy chess board, which was gifted abroad, a tiger’s sketch is correct with a chess board made of paper.
Vishwanathan Anand and All Interview
Video Credit: Thomodaran B., Shivraj S.
Anand has no objection … because the brain behind these tasks is his son, Sai Akhil Anand, which is ready for his single exhibition, morphogenesis.
“My house is now 50% art, 50% chess,” Beams Indian Chess Legend Vishwanathan Anand, “traditionally, it has always been full of my trophies and newspapers about my achievements. Recently, it has started filling with Akhil’s budding art journey. I am happy to share the art for the family.”
Aands will do more in the first week of August when morphogenesis opens in Chennai. The 14 -year -old Akhil said about the elements of his show, “I do a lot of Indian arts like Gond, Madhubani, Worli and Cherial and connect it to the pattern of mathematics.”
Artist Akhil Anand, Vishwanathan Anand, son of chess icon | Photo Credit: Shiv Raj S
Numbers game
The Akhil is currently studying in class IX in 8 beyond Chennai, the synonym of chess may be the son of a champion, but it was the art that appealed to him from a young age. “I once saw a zebra and tiger stripes and focused on its pattern. Since then, I have been fascinated with the pattern.”
His early works were about people – popular personality like Newton, Einstein and Gandhi. This attraction increased into a passion a few years ago during the Covid lockdown. Anand explains, “Over time in his hands, he came deep into (Akhil) art. He was deeply inspired by David Attenborough’s programs that talked about patterns and color in nature.”
Morphogenesis will introduce all that. If a series called The Bindu Bovine involves the artistic interpretation of a cow using elements of fructal geometry, then the uninterrupted series – Dutch painter is inspired by the geometric functions of Pete Mondrian – features subjects in binary colors. So, what is his personal favorite? “The series on Animal Superheroes, which talks about some animals that are endangered and extinct,” says Akhil. In that series, close to Akhil’s heart, sketches on animals such as Moo Deng, Hippopotamus from Thailand zoo that became an internet sensation, and giraffe, Tajiri, which has become a symbol for giraffe conservation in New York’s Animal Adventure Park.
Chess icon Vishwanathan Anand and wife Aruna along with their son Akhil Anand, whose art show ‘Morphogenesis’ will be in Chennai. , Photo Credit: Shiv Raj S
Correct trick
Aands – Both Vishwanathan Anand and his wife, Aruna – are cheerleaders to discover their son’s art. Anand recalls, “When I was growing up, my father – who worked in Railways – had a more traditional job, which meant strict work hours. He tried to live with my passion for chess, and was very helpful. I think it’s the same to me; I try to be with Akhil’s artistic discovery.”
He explains that there are many similarities between chess and art. “In chess, you are forced to sit in front of a board and focus on work in hand. It is quite similar in art; you have your equipment in front of you, and you need to focus. While technology can help with research, you still need to focus hands and focus,” they explain.
When they are not discussing chess or art, Anand excavates a lot in music; English composer Sting and Irish Rock Band U2 are among his favorite. Anand explains, “For me, it was quite surprising that Akhil liked a lot of music from my teenage days. He is well informed about that time. I have a habit of listening to my favorite song from an album and moving forward, but he listens to them all. But, he is also my entrance to modern music and singers.”
Even Anand maintains his duties as a guardian for the current crop of Indian chess talent, yet he plays the role of father at home. Akhil and Anand also enjoy playing the game of table tennis not only, but whenever you find time on art and music. And yes, they Too Playing chess. Akhil is yet to win against Anand – but he is currently mastery in the Hyper Quick Dragon and London system to find one against the legend of Indian chess. He says, “I play a lot of chess, but my dream is to become an environmental lawyer and bring awareness about issues like climate change and global warming. I want to fight against plastic and air pollution. My role model is BR Ambedkar, father of the Constitution of India.”
Morphogenesis will be in Artsspace from August 1 to August 7, Gopalapuram 1 Street, Kanakasari Nagar, Gopalpuram, Chennai, in Artsspace by Kalapadruma.
Published – July 29, 2025 05:42 pm IST
