Chess genius R Praggnanandhaa, who beat world chess champion Magnus Carlsen in Chessable Masters, recently had to face a curious question from an international reporter.
"Some of our viewers are very curious about the mark in your forehead, the white mark. Can you tell me what that means for you," the reporter asked Praggnanandhaa in a video that has been doing rounds on Twitter.
Visibly taken aback, Praggnanandhaa took his time to respond. "I do it because my mother asked me to do it very early on. It's just my practice, I do it every day," he said.
On being asked if it brings luck, the chess genius said, "I'm not sure," as onlookers laughed. "Sometimes, sometimes not," Praggnanandhaa added.
Meanwhile, Twitter was not impressed with the questions the chess genius was asked.
"It’s very evident that the Tilak on the forehead is related to religion. It’s 2022, Indians are in all corners of the world. So a “what it is” is ignorant but still pardonable but a “why it is” is just the Western gaze questioning paganism. We are polite & we move on," commented Abhishek Asthana, co-founder of social media start-up Zorro.
Twitter user Rao PM said, "To even pronounce 'vibhuthi' for a westerner would be quite difficult. So best to leave without too much explanation. My faith, my belief, very personal, period!"
Many, however, wondered if Praggnanandhaa knew the cultural significance of the vibhuti or chose to avert explaining it to the reporter.
Last week, Praggnandhaa had beaten world number one Magnus Carlsen, number 10 Anish Giri and number 22 Wei Yi at the Chessable Masters. He made it to the final against world number two Ding Liren but lost the title-clash in the blitz tiebreak.
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