Excelsior Sports Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 30: Recently awarded with Pradan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar (PMRBP)-a highest award for the citizen below 18 year, daughter of soil, Arushi Kotwal has to become Chess Grandmaster as well as IAS officer simultaneously.
In an exclusive interview with Excelsior after getting highest award from the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi which was announced by Ministry of Youth Affair and Sports on the eve of Republic Day, Arushi Kotwal said that she recently enrolled in University of Delhi’s IPCW (Indraprastha College for Women) for BA honours in Political Science and has been trying hard to become Grandmaster as well as world champion while persuing her higher education.
“It is not an easy task to become Grandmaster for which I have to win more titles at national and international levels but I will manage it along with study,” Kotwal said.
Narrating her journey in the Chess game, Arushi said that she started to play the game at the age of 6 years and got immense support from her family members because all of them are interested in Chess. “Till date, I have won 14 medals including 5 Gold, 6 Silver and 3 Bronze in all the three formats of Chess (Classical, Rapid and Blitz) in individual and team category,” she informed.
Sharing her experience during the pandemic period, she said that during the online game, it is very difficult to focus on the game but she never gave up and won two medals. She expressed thanks to Chess Federation of India for providing opportunities to the players during the pandemic. “In J&K, young and enthusiastic players lack advance coaching from the recognized coaches but she got the opportunity to take a weekly coaching from the experts when she was outside the J&K for participation in the tournaments,” she said.
She thanked the UT Government for providing Government jobs to outstanding players at gazetted and non-gazetted posts which were lying vacant since 2014 and appealed to the Government to introduce games at school level so that young talents come to fore.
Arushi Kotwal is hailing from Chinta area of Bhaderwah of Doda district and has become the first player from the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir who has won the medals in all the three formats of the Chess and also the only player of the UT having WCM title for winning Silver medal in Western Asian Chess Championship (2018) at Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
Kotwal is the youngest player of Jammu and Kashmir to receive Sher-e-Kashmir Sports Award for the year 2011-12 at the age of 8 years along with a State awarde in the year 2016.
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