India's First Grandmaster

From the Chess Times (1/88):-

'A dream fulfilled' was everybody's saying at the penultimate round of the Sakthi Finance International Grandmasters Chess Tournament at Coimbatore on 27 December 1987. The Indian Chess Fraternity was jubilant when the news was flashed, 'Anand has become India's First Grandmaster'.

Later the article mentions, 'There were three contenders [for first GM]: Anand, Thipsay and Barua'.