Page 26 - The Indian EYE 010524

NORTH AMERICAN Newsline JANUARY 05, 2024 | The Indian Eye 26

BODHANA SIVANANDAN

Chess prodigy named the ‘super

talented’ player

Dr Piyali Roy in her electric blue evening gown displayed royalty and
looked majestic, as she walked the ramp leaving all the judges and audiences
mesmerised by her attractive personality, grace and charm.
Dr Roy’s answer to a question based on domestic violence during the
interview round, generated loud applause in the audience, making her the
clear winner of the pageant. Piyali was crowned by the reigning queen Mrs
odhana Sivanandan, , the 8-year old, from Harrow in north-west Lon- Universe 2023 Meranie Gadiana Rahman in Mrs Universe USA Pageant.
don, won the European Blitz Chess Championship in Zagreb, Croatia, Dr Roy is a published author, available on Amazon, which explores the
Bmaking history after being named the ‘super talented’ best female play- depths of self-confidence, especially among women. In her insightful publica-
er at a European championship. tion, she intelligently navigates through the true life stories of women across
“Eight-year-old super talented Bodhana Sivanandan made an astonish- age groups, unravelling the keys to enhancing self-confidence.
ing result in the Blitz competition. She scored 8.5/13 points to win the first
women prize and earn 211.2 blitz ELO points,” said the European Rapid and GURUDEV SINGH GILL
Blitz Chess Championships.
She took up chess during the COVID pandemic lockdown. In the Eu- Canada’s first Indian Physician,
ropean championship, she played with some of the best players in the world
and defeated an international master to win her crown.
She has been widely applauded ever since on the social media, with lead- dies at 92
ing professionals highlighting her ‘unbelievable’ performance. “I always try
my best to win, sometimes it happens and sometimes it doesn’t,” Bodhana urdev Singh Gill, who made
said to BBC after her win. history in 1958 as the first In-
Father, Siva Sivanandan said his daughter was ‘trying her best and it has Gdo-Canadian to practice med-
worked in favor of her’. icine, passed away at the age of 92 in
“She likes chess and she likes traveling. We keep trying and keep going,” Canada’s New Westminster city.
he said. Gill moved to Canada from
The package has since been in place to support children attending India in 1949 at a time when there
schools in disadvantaged areas across England to learn and play chess, im- were only about 2,000 South Asians
prove visibility and availability of the game and fund elite playing. in the country. “He was the first
As part of the package, the UK’s Department for Culture, Media and Indo-Canadian to graduate with a
Sport (DCMS) says it will invest GBP 500,000 in the English Chess Federa- medical degree from the Universi-
tion (ECF) over two years in order to develop the next generation of world- ty of British Columbia and the first
class talent. Indo-Canadian to practice medicine
in Canada,” according to the British
DR PIYALI ROY Columbia government.
On December 24, community members gathered at a gurdwara in Van-
Multi-faceted personality wins couver to pay respects to Gill who died on December 17. Gill went on to
become President of Vancouver’s Khalsa Diwan Society, following which he
Mrs Universe USA oversaw the building of a new gurdwara in South Vancouver at a time when
few existed for local Sikhs.
“His medical practice was more than a medical practice. It was a com-
r Piyali Roy won the Mrs Universe Curvy USA 2024 pageant, held at munity hall where new immigrants came for guidance and advice,” said his
Seattle. Dr Piyali Roy, besides being a New York University trained grandson. “Being on stage with all those other wonderful Canadians. He was
Ddental surgeon, an author and an international fashion model. so proud of that recognition,” his grandson, Imran Gill, further said, that his
According to Piyali, it is her infectious smile, confidence and charm that grandfather lived “a very selfless life”.
make her way into the top 3 of Mrs Universe Curvy USA 2024 after leav- He was an active staff member of St. Mary’s, the Royal Columbian and
ing everyone in awe of her creativity and reverence that she displayed while Queen’s Park hospitals, and was active in fundraising for the Cancer Society,
walking down the National Costume Round depicting Washington DC’s Rotary Club, and the Children’s Hospital. He was honored with the Order of
state flag and emblem displayed on her while she took on the look of the British Columbia in 1990 in its inaugural year, alongside luminaries such as
National Flower herself, The American pink rose. Continued on next page... >>

www.TheIndianEYE.com