I am happy that I was born in free India and free India means we can do whatever we want. Freedom is something special, isn't it so? If I were born in an India that was under British rule, I wouldn't have been a chess player!

August 15 has been a special day for India and Indians, ever since the country won freedom from the British. I haven't had a chance to attend the flag hoisting ceremony in school because most of the time, we have some chess tournament on that day.

I am very proud to say that I am an Indian. But I feel we are over populated. If we want to become a developed country, we have to control the growth of our population. Sometimes, I feel I am fortunate to have been born in India and not in a very poor country like Ethiopia where people struggle to even get food.

In France, after presenting me with the U-12 World chess championship gold medal, they played India's national anthem, and I felt extremely proud. I felt proud that it was being played because of me and Sahaj [Grover, World under-10 champion]. That was the proudest moment in my entire life.

I will never accept the citizenship of any other country; I want to be known as an Indian only. But I would like to live in some of those developed countries but I will always be an Indian, a proud Indian! I want India to be a developed country. I want to represent India and contribute something to my country.

N Srinath spoke to Shobha Warrier