·The Hindu·15 marks·250–350 words

Assess the role of role models and local institutions in building sporting excellence in India.

New · District CollectorCan you hold the district for 72 hours?Floods, a heatwave, an outbreak, a grievance queue. Take the decisions, see the consequences.Play →
In this answer
  1. Role of role models
  2. Role of local institutions
  3. Limitations

India's chess journey runs from Viswanathan Anand becoming its first Grandmaster (GM) in 1988 to Anuj Shrivatri becoming the 100th in November 2026 [1]. Role models and local institutions have both been decisive. However, they have not yet spread excellence evenly.

Role of role models

  • Demonstration effect: Anand put India on the world chess map and started Tamil Nadu's chess legacy. The State now has 38 of India's 100 GMs [1].
  • Momentum: After the pioneer, numbers grew slowly at first, then quickly. India took 14 years to produce five GMs but went from 23 GMs in 2010 to 67 in 2020 [1].
  • New aspiration: Shrivatri is Madhya Pradesh's first GM [1]. He can become for his State what Anand became for Tamil Nadu.

Role of local institutions

  • City ecosystems: Chennai has remained a key centre of the game [1]. Coaches, clubs and regular tournaments in one place turn inspiration into titles.
  • State-led base: Sport is a State subject (Entry 33, State List, Seventh Schedule) [2]. State bodies, schools and district associations therefore shape the base of the talent pyramid.
  • Union support: Khelo India merged earlier schemes, including the National Sports Talent Search Scheme, to support grassroots talent search and infrastructure [3].
Role model → Aspiration → Local coach/club/tournaments → Talent identification → Excellence

Fig: Inspiration produces excellence only through local institutions

Limitations

  • Regional concentration: Five jurisdictions hold 79 of 100 GMs [1]. Inspiration has not travelled where institutions are weak.
  • Late spread: Madhya Pradesh's first GM came only with India's 100th title [1].
  • Uneven capacity: Because sport is a State subject, outcomes depend on each State's resources and priorities [2].
  • Implementation gaps: A parliamentary standing committee found Khelo India's talent identification process complex and lengthy [4].

Role models create the aspiration, and local institutions sustain it, so each needs the other. The way forward is to copy the Chennai model through district academies and local tournament circuits, to simplify talent identification under Khelo India, and to give States support in proportion to the gaps they face. This would turn regional pockets of brilliance into national excellence, in line with the constitutional promise of equality of opportunity.

Sources

  1. 1Anuj Shrivatri completes India's century of Grandmasters, The Hindu, 10 November 2026Anand as first GM (1988); Shrivatri as 100th GM and Madhya Pradesh's first; GM totals by year; State-wise tally; Chennai as a key centre. The exact article page could not be verified, so the link goes to the newspaper's home page.
  2. 2Constitution of India, Seventh Schedule, List II, Entry 33sport as a State subject. Links to the Legislative Department's home page.
  3. 3Khelo India Scheme guidelines, Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports (22 April 2016)merger of earlier schemes, including the National Sports Talent Search Scheme
  4. 4PRS Legislative Research, Standing Committee Report Summary: Khelo Indiatalent identification found complex and lengthy

More from this note