(Image source from: Beniwal requests the Jat community in Haryanvi to stop the violence through a video})

In the video shared from London, which has gone viral, National chess champion Anuradha Beniwal requests the Jat community in Haryanvi to stop the violence because it’s their own houses and their own country they are burning in flames.

“My first coach was a Thakur, the second a Pandit. They never asked me if I was a Jat, Kumhar, Dhanak, or Bania. She’s our girl, our very own, from Haryana; she likes chess, so let us teach her (they thought), “ she said.

Beniwal is not only a chess champion, she is also a writer. Recently, she launched her debut book ‘Azadi mera brand’ at the World Book Fair in Delhi.

“I heard my dad cry on the phone. He told me that Rohtak, the city I saw a few months back, is not the same. Rohtak is a city I felt so proud of, a city with amazing infrastructure, stadiums, playgrounds, educational institutes and great faculty . Girls ride bikes and boys jog on the roads! My dad told me that the city has been burnt to ashes. What can be more disturbing than knowing that your own city is burning?,“ she said in her video.

“I'm not proud of any caste, creed, state or country . I'm a human being and proud to be one. I work hard and do it honestly . I can't be proud of something I haven't earned. It was given to me by birth. I'm proud of being a traveller, a writer, and a chess player,“ she continued.

“I was born in Kheri, Meham. My dad was a lecturer at a government college. I played chess as a kid and have been helped by people from all communities. I never thought that because I'm a Jat, I can only be helped by Jats. Nobody ever refused to train me because I was a Jat. A sportsperson cannot be narrowed down to a particular caste. We play for the country,” she said in the video.

“I believe that the `upper castes' have wronged the `lower castes' for ages, and that reservation gave them a level playing field. But it has become a political tactic now. Before every election, politicians use this tactic and promise benefits to one or the other community to get votes,” she opined.

By Premji