Viswanathan Anand with Sai Akhil Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Sai Akhil Anand sees patterns everywhere. On the way. And, on animals.

“I once looked carefully at the stripes of zebra and tiger and saw the patterns on them,” recalls Akhil in a telephone conversation, “This made me very interested in art and patterns.”

The 13-year-old son of Indian chess legend Viswanathan Anand recently collaborated with ethnic brand Hasta to bring traditional Indian art forms to life in a new collection of hand-block printed clothing. This limited-edition collection is Akhil’s interpretation of traditional Indian motifs, including prints of horses, fish, cows, peacocks and Lord Ganesha. “Divya Vigneswaran, who runs the Hastha Foundation, once saw me speaking at a festival and suggested I explore hand-block printing on clothes,” he says.

The result of that conversation was Hasta x Akhil, which includes, among other things, the Akhil Tee, a cotton T-shirt printed with traditional hand-block techniques.

For the photo shoot of the collection, Akhil included close family and friends as models. His father (chess grandmaster Viswanathan Anand),The pictures include mother (Aruna Anand), grandfather and art teacher Diana Satish. “The shoot was a pleasant experience and I loved being seen in the pictures with my family members,” says Akhil, who already has an online platform (Akhilism on Instagram) that sells his artwork as gifts. Provides eligible items.

The proceeds of Hasta x Akhil will be donated to Hasta Foundation, a non-profit organization that empowers adults with neurological challenges through the art of hand block printing.

“I hope to work on mugs and books next year,” he says.

apart from writing heart of mathematicsIn which he explores patterns in daily life, Akhil – currently studying in class eight at APL Global, Chennai – also has a keen interest in gymnastics, yoga and badminton. He hopes to become an artist in the future, with a solo art exhibition being planned in June 2025. He also cites BR Ambedkar as one of his life inspirations. “I was really impressed by his early life stories and his desire to work on the Constitution of India,” says Akhil.

And, when Akhil is not busy with art or reading, he enjoys a game of chess with his superstar father. “I am learning the game. I am currently studying discoveries like the London System and the Hyper Accelerated Dragon. So, who wins at home: Anand or Akhil? “Well, nobody wins,” he laughs.

To view this limited-edition collection, visit hastha.co.in