On Tuesday, Indian chess grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa shared his parents’ joy after receiving an electric car from Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra via X (formerly Twitter). He shared photos of his family with the vehicle and expressed gratitude to the business magnate, which sparked widespread praise. “I received my XUV 400. My parents are extremely happy. Praggnanandhaa thanked Anand Mahindra in his post on X.
Received XUV 400. My parents are very happy. 😊 Thank you so much.
Received XUV 400 , My Parents are very happy 😊 Thank you very much @anandmahindra sir🙏 https://t.co/5ZmogCLGF4 pic.twitter.com/zmwMP2Ltza
— Praggnanandhaa (@rpraggnachess) March 12, 2024
Interestingly, a widely circulated photograph from 2023 captured R Praggnanandhaa’s mother gazing proudly at her son. This heartfelt moment occurred after the chess prodigy advanced to the finals of the FIDE World Cup, which was held in Baku. At that point, Anand Mahindra reposted the image on X, adding, “Maa, tujhe Salaam (Mother, salute to you).” In response, a user wrote, “Sir, he also deserves Mahindra’s Thar!” referring to Anand Mahindra’s habit of awarding cars to athletes for outstanding achievements.
The businessman responded to the X user’s comment by expressing his desire to give R Praggnanandhaa’s parents an electric car and explaining his reasoning behind this decision.
“I appreciate your sentiment, Krishlay, and many others have urged me to present a Thar to R Praggnanandhaa. But I’ve got another idea. I’d like to encourage parents to introduce their children to chess and support them as they pursue this cerebral game (despite the growing popularity of video games!). As with EVs, it is an investment in a better future for our planet. So, I think we should give Praggnanandhaa’s parents a XUV4OO EV. Shrimati Nagalakshmi and Shri Rameshbabu, who deserve our gratitude for nurturing their son’s passion and providing unwavering support,” he wrote in an August tweet.
The post has received over 230k views and nearly 9,000 likes. Additionally, it has sparked a diverse comments from users.