CHENNAI: When D Harika started feeling the effects of postpartum following the birth of her daughter in 2022, it was 'extremely hard to accept the changes I was having'.
"Changes to the body, mentally and everything," she tells this daily after the fifth round of the Chennai Grand Masters at the Anna Centenary Library on Saturday.
Harika identified her own path to self-healing—chess.
"I realised that to heal myself was to keep doing what I had been doing all my life, can't give up. It was to keep playing chess. Until my daughter needed me, I was there for her at home. When I realised she was fine with my parents, I started travelling and playing. Initially, I was travelling only five days or one week at a time. Later on, I started travelling (normally)."
It's not a surprise to know that mother and daughter bond through chess when Harika is home. "She just says 'Amma, chess board (smiles)' but she doesn't even play five-10 minutes with it. However, it's a fun process for all of us. She knows all the pieces and makes sounds, of the knight for example."
Like most young mothers, Harika had to make the difficult choice of staying home or travelling. She was reassured when her daughter replied in the affirmative. "I'm used to it and she's also used to it," Harika says.
"When I ask her 'do you miss me,' she says 'yes'. When I asked her 'should I play tournaments or be with you, she was like 'you play'. It's wonderful whenever I win because that's what makes it worth it to leave the daughter and come out."
It's why her Olympiad gold in August added a delightful coat of varnish apart from the 'personal satisfaction'. "Wouldn't do it any other way," she says.
"Definitely worth it, the overall journey and the process. I have loved my journey so far. It was one of my most memorable moments. More than anything, it gave me personal satisfaction. This is something I wanted and it's now done. I hope things keep getting better and better for the chess fans and players in India."
With her daughter old enough to travel, would Harika consider taking her to international tournaments? "You become a different person around your baby," she says.
"Also, it's too much work if I have to take her out. Even if I get someone like my grandmother, I need someone to take care of both of them. Maybe I can do that in Indian tournaments. When you become a mother, you become a little bit more soft and you need to be more focused and serious during tournaments. So I don't prefer to travel too much during tournaments."
There was a phase when she used to video call home during tournaments to check up on her daughter. These days, not so much. "She's now in the toddler phase and isn't even interested in talking that much," the 33-year-old smiles. "More keen on running around."
In the ongoing competition, Harika has had a 'lot of learning'; three draws and three losses after six rounds. "It's been tough," she says.
"I knew that coming here, all are youngsters. But the whole point is to learn, to get better. It's been a while since I played in the Open section but I'm enjoying and learning."
The India No 2 behind Koneru Humpy hopes she can continue stacking up the medals for herself and the country going forward.