Will not immerse ashes of my son till we get justice: Father of Bengaluru techie who died by suicide
Samastipur (Bihar) (PTI): The father of Bengaluru techie Atul Subhash, who died by suicide recently, on Sunday called for strict punishment for those who “harassed” his son, asserting that his ashes will not be immersed till justice is served.
Subhash, 34, was found hanging in his house at Bengaluru’s Munnekolalu on December 9. He left behind lengthy videos and notes, blaming his wife and in-laws for driving him to suicide through "false" cases and "persistent torture".
“I thank the Karnataka Police for arresting them (Subhash’s estranged wife and in-laws). All those who harassed my son should be punished so that he gets justice, and his soul rests in peace. I will not immerse the ashes of my son till we get justice,” Pawan Kumar told reporters here.
“My son was being harassed and tortured for money, and humiliated by his wife... I request Prime Minister Narendra Modi and all concerned… please give us justice,” he said.
Subhash’s estranged wife Nikita Singhania was arrested in Gurugram, Haryana, while her mother Nisha Singhania and brother Anuragh Singhania were picked up from Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj, police said on Sunday.
Kumar also sought the custody of his four-year-old grandson.
“My son was broken from inside... Even after torture by his wife and in-laws, he didn't tell anyone about it. His suicide note also mentioned that his parents be given custody of his child,” Kumar said.
He said Subhash had also received a maintenance order for his son, amounting to Rs 40,000 per month.
"She (Subhash’s estranged wife) filed several false cases against us and my son. Strict action must be taken against all those who mentally tortured my son,” Kumar said.
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Money isn't the reason I play chess: Gukesh on being "new multi-millionaire"
Singapore (PTI): The "multi-millionaire" tag does "mean a lot" to new world champion D Gukesh but he doesn't play the game for material gains but for that unbridled joy, which he has been able to retain since the time a chess board used to be the "coolest toy" for him.
Gukesh, the 18-year-old from Chennai, is now richer by Rs 11.45 crore which he will receive from FIDE as prize money for beating Ding Liren of China in the final.
Gukesh's father Rajnikanth gave up his career as an ENT surgeon to accompany his son on the circuit while mother Padmakumari, who is a microbiologist, became the sole earner of the family.
Asked what exactly does being a multi-millionaire mean to him, Gukesh said, "It means a lot. When I got into chess, we (as a family) had to make some hard decisions. My parents had gone through financial and emotional hardships. Now, we are more comfortable and parents don't need to think about those things," Gukesh told FIDE in an interview.
"Personally, money isn't the reason I play chess," he said.
He always tries to remember why he started playing the game when he got his first chess board.
"I am still the kid who loves chess. It used to be the coolest toy," the reticent world champion explained.
For him, his parents mean the world. Gukesh's dad doubles up as his manager by taking care of all the off-board activities and allowing him to concentrate on the game, while his mother is the emotional and spiritual pillar of strength.
"She (mother) still says, I will be happy to know that you are a great chess player but I would be happier to hear that you are a greater person," Gukesh said.
Still in his teens, Gukesh feels that as a student of the game, the more he learns about chess, the more aware he will become of how little he knows.
"Even the greatest of players make a lot of mistakes. Even though technology is so advanced, there is still a lot to learn about chess. I strongly believe that the more you learn something, more you realise that you don't know that thing.
"Whenever I am on the chess board, I feel I learn something new. It's a process of unlimited beauty."
Journey and Destination both are "important"
The process of the journey is very important but for Gukesh, it is even more important to be clear about the destination.
"For example, I played a beautiful game and lost, I will feel sad. And if I win despite not playing a great game, I will be happy. I tend to look at the result," he said.
Desire to win is more than the fear of losing
The quality of games in the final was found to be pretty drab by experts but Gukesh doesn't believe that his desire to win is trumped by fear of losing.
"My desire to win is stronger than the fear of losing," he said, while expressing a bit of surprise as to how Liren easily agreed to a draw in the second game.
"I had a bit more freedom to attack as he was defending tenaciously. When he went too easy on me in the second game after I played a horrible first game, I felt like he could have pushed me a bit but it was a comfortable draw."
However, he isn't too surprised that Liren opted for the "safer routes".
"It was not a huge surprise. He was tending towards safer routes, maybe he should have taken more chances."
Dance and Ice cream
For someone who believes he has two left feet when it comes to dancing, his impromptu jig after receiving the Chess Olympiad Trophy went viral, and now he fears his friends won't leave him so easily.
"Earlier, my friends would dance and I would sit in a corner. After the Olympiad win, the spirits were high and it was (the dance) in the moment. But the video went viral and now my friends said that 'you had danced there and now you will have to join us'," he smiled.
He thanked the chef in Singapore for providing him with his comfort food, "south Indian delicacies" during the final.
"I haven't had ice cream for one year. Maybe I will have one."
