Does Anand Deserve Bharat Ratna Before Sachin?

Bangalore:  No sportsmen have got Bharat Ratna which is awarded for the highest degree of national service. When the government modified rules recently to pave way for eligibility of sportsperson, there is a tight sportsmen’s race for this great award now. Who deserves India’s highest civilian award more, Anand, Sachin or any others?  Though it is a difficult question to answer, there are many factors to consider while dealing with it.

A few weeks ago Viswanathan Anand made our country proud again by winning the World Chess Championship for the fifth time beating Boris Gelfand of Israel in Moscow, a place which has produced several greatest chess players of the world.

Anand is a Chess icon not just for India but for the world. Not many players have showed the incredible talent that Anand has been showing so far. By winning countless international and national trophies in the world of chess this great player proves his dominance over his career. The six chess Oscars, an award given on the basis of votes collected from the best players and writers all over the world, that Anand has won shows the kind of recognition he has got.

Anand’s reign in the chess world started at a very early stage of his career. At the age of 17 Anand won his first World Junior Chess Championship and the very next year he became India’s first Grandmaster. He is the reason and inspiration for a generation to take up chess. There are many who followed his path and as a result India has 37 Grandmasters now.