India on Thursday (May 31st) celebrated Viswanathan Anand’s world title chess triumph, with Bollywood stars, the prime minister and newspaper front pages lining up to hail his success, AFP reported.
Anand, 42, defeated Israeli challenger Boris Gelfand in a quick-fire shootout in Moscow on Wednesday after their 12-game epic was drawn, giving Anand a fifth world title and his fourth in a row.
“The country should come out on the streets and celebrate,” Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan told reporters.
“It is bigger than any World Cup victory,” he added in a reference to India’s cricket World Cup win last year that triggered massive nationwide celebrations.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Anand’s retention of the world title was a “monumental achievement” while ruling Congress Party Chief Sonia Gandhi described it as “stupendous”.
Newspapers gave the news extensive coverage, and Sports Minister Ajay Maken said of Anand: “He has brought laurels to the country and I thank him for that. He is the best sportsperson the country has.”
Source: Khabar South Asia
