TIRUCHY: As Tamil Nadu hosts the 44th Chess Olympiad, every district has been coming out with innovative ways to promote chess. But Pudukkottai stands out and has become a sensation on social media. The viral video shows classical, folk and martial artists becoming chess pieces themselves and battling. The video ended with the defeat of the white king.
Chief Minister MK Stalin shared the video on his Twitter account, making the rest of the social media to pick it up. “We were particular about the black winning and were careful about casting as well,” said Pudukkottai Collector Kavitha Ramu, who was the brain behind the video. Being a dancer herself, Kavitha wanted to express her enthusiasm for the Olympiad through dance.
“We had folk and classical artists. We included martial arts because there are soldiers. It was my initiative, choreography and visualisation. I handles everything via phone, as I couldn’t go to Chennai. We started recording on July 20 and finished the next day,” she said. When asked about the performers, Kavitha said, there were 32 artists from different disciplines like Bharatanatyam, Poikal Luthirai, Silambattam, Therukoothu, and Malyutham.