SRMIST Announces ₹23 Lakh Rewards for Asian Games Medal Winners and Chess Grandmasters
Chennai: SRM Institute of Science and Technology (SRMIST) has announced cash rewards totalling ₹23 lakh for three Asian Games medal winners and three student chess players who earned the Grandmaster title during the 2025–26 academic year.
The felicitation ceremony was held under the leadership of SRMIST Founder-Chancellor Dr. T. R. Paarivendhar to recognise achievements at the 20th Asian Games Aichi–Nagoya 2026 in Japan and international chess competitions.
Third-year BCA (Data Science) student Thirumuru Ganesh Mani Ratnam won gold in the Compound Men’s Team event and bronze in the Compound Individual event in archery. Second-year B.Tech (ECE) student Shameena Riaz secured bronze in women’s squash, while SRMIST alumna Nethra Kumanan won bronze in the ILCA 6 Women’s Sailing event.
SRMIST will award ₹10 lakh to Ganesh Mani Ratnam and ₹5 lakh each to Shameena Riaz and Nethra Kumanan, taking the total reward for the three Asian Games medal winners to ₹20 lakh.
The university will also award ₹1 lakh each to its three student Grandmasters — Srihari L.R., Hari Krishnan A. RA and V. S. Rahul.
Srihari, a third-year B.Com student at the Vadapalani campus, became India’s 86th Grandmaster. Hari Krishnan, a second-year M.Com student at the same campus, became the 87th Grandmaster, while Rahul, a second-year MBA student at the Kattankulathur campus, became India’s 91st Grandmaster.
With these achievements, SRMIST stated that it had become the first university in India to produce three Grandmasters in a single academic year.
Speaking at the event, Dr. Paarivendhar said the achievements reflected the importance of dedication, discipline and perseverance in academic and sporting pursuits. He also highlighted the institution’s efforts to encourage sporting talent in line with India’s 2036 Olympic aspirations.
