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By:

Bhalchandra Chorghade

11 August 2025 at 1:54:18 pm

Applause for Cricket, Silence for Badminton

Mumbai: When Lakshya Sen walked off the court after the final of the All England Badminton Championships, he carried with him the disappointment of another near miss. The Indian shuttler went down in straight games to Lin Chun-Yi, who created history by becoming the first player from Chinese Taipei to lift the prestigious title. But the story of Lakshya Sen’s defeat is not merely about badminton final. It is also about the contrasting way India celebrates its sporting heroes. Had the same...

Applause for Cricket, Silence for Badminton

Mumbai: When Lakshya Sen walked off the court after the final of the All England Badminton Championships, he carried with him the disappointment of another near miss. The Indian shuttler went down in straight games to Lin Chun-Yi, who created history by becoming the first player from Chinese Taipei to lift the prestigious title. But the story of Lakshya Sen’s defeat is not merely about badminton final. It is also about the contrasting way India celebrates its sporting heroes. Had the same narrative unfolded on a cricket field, the reaction would have been dramatically different. In cricket, even defeat often becomes a story of heroism. A hard-fought loss by the Indian team can dominate television debates, fill newspaper columns and trend across social media for days. A player who narrowly misses a milestone is still hailed for his fighting spirit. The nation rallies around its cricketers not only in victory but also in defeat. The narrative quickly shifts from the result to the effort -- the resilience shown, the fight put up, the promise of future triumph. This emotional investment is one of the reasons cricket enjoys unparalleled popularity in India. It has built a culture where players become household names and their performances, good or bad, become part of the national conversation. Badminton Fights Contrast that with what happens in sports like badminton. Reaching the final of the All England Championships is a monumental achievement. The tournament is widely considered badminton’s equivalent of Wimbledon in prestige and tradition. Only the very best players manage to reach its final stages, and doing it twice speaks volumes about Lakshya Sen’s ability and consistency. Yet the reaction in India remained largely subdued. There were congratulatory posts, some headlines acknowledging the effort and brief discussions among badminton enthusiasts. But the level of national engagement never quite matched the magnitude of the achievement. In a cricketing context, reaching such a stage would have triggered days of celebration and analysis. In badminton, it often becomes just another sports update. Long Wait India’s wait for an All England champion continues. The last Indian to win the title was Pullela Gopichand in 2001. Before him, Prakash Padukone had scripted history in 1980. These victories remain among the most significant milestones in Indian badminton. And yet, unlike cricketing triumphs that are frequently revisited and celebrated, such achievements rarely stay in the mainstream sporting conversation for long. Lakshya Sen’s journey to the final should ideally have been viewed as a continuation of that legacy, a reminder that India still possesses the talent to challenge the world’s best in badminton. Instead, it risks fading quickly from public memory. Visibility Gap The difference ultimately comes down to visibility and cultural investment. Cricket in India is not merely a sport; it is an ecosystem built over decades through media attention, sponsorship, and mass emotional attachment. Individual sports, on the other hand, often rely on momentary bursts of recognition, usually during Olympic years or when a medal is won. But consistent performers like Lakshya Sen rarely receive the sustained spotlight that their achievements deserve. This disparity can also influence the next generation. Young athletes are naturally drawn to sports where success brings recognition, financial stability and national fame. When one sport monopolises the spotlight, others struggle to build similar appeal. Beyond Result Lakshya Sen may have finished runner-up again, but his performance at the All England Championship is a reminder that India continues to produce world-class athletes in disciplines beyond cricket. The real issue is not that cricket receives immense attention -- it deserves the admiration it gets. The concern is that athletes from other sports often do not receive comparable appreciation for achievements that are equally significant in their own arenas. If India aspires to become a truly global sporting nation, its applause must grow broader. Sporting pride cannot remain confined to one field. Because somewhere on a badminton court, an athlete like Lakshya Sen is fighting just as hard for the country’s colours as any cricketer on a packed stadium pitch. The only difference is how loudly the nation chooses to cheer.

A New Momentum to the Agricultural Sector

A technology-driven farm overhaul seeks to lift Maharashtra’s agricultural economy from $55bn today to $500bn by 2047.

Prioritizing the holistic development of the agricultural sector in Maharashtra's budget, Chief Minister and Finance Minister Devendra Fadnavis has placed farming firmly at its core, unveiling a sweeping set of initiatives aimed at reviving agricultural growth and embedding technology deep into the countryside.


The State Government has set an ambitious target to raise Maharashtra's agricultural GDP from $55 billion to $500 billion by the year 2047. To achieve this goal, emphasis has been placed on increasing capital investment in the agricultural sector, strengthening infrastructure, and enhancing the adoption of technology.


By placing the farmer at the very centre of these efforts, an integrated value chain is being developed for 10 to 15 major crops to facilitate access to global markets for agricultural produce. This will help farmers secure better returns throughout the entire process - from production right through to market sale. The government is also focused on boosting the agro-processing industry, storage facilities, and agricultural exports.


Integrated Ecosystem

To provide farmers with more accessible and transparent services, an integrated agricultural ecosystem is being established through digital initiatives such as AgriStack, MahaVedh, and MahaDBT. Leveraging digital farming and artificial intelligence, more than 3 million farmers across the state are now receiving accurate, real-time information regarding weather conditions, crop management, and market prices. Consequently, this is making it easier for farmers to make the right decisions at the right time.


To further enhance the use of technology within the agricultural sector, Artificial Intelligence (AI) centers are set to be established at the state's four agricultural universities. With the aid of cutting-edge technology and artificial intelligence, it is anticipated that agricultural production costs could be reduced by up to approximately 25 percent. Furthermore, to foster innovation in the agricultural sector, agricultural startups will be encouraged and provided with access to data and digital services.

 

Maharashtra stands at the forefront among all states in the country regarding the implementation of the ‘AgriStack’ scheme. By the end of February, Farmer Identification Numbers had been issued to 1.31 crore farmers across the state. In the near future, tribal farmers and those cultivating land within forest areas will also be integrated into this system, thereby enabling them to easily access the benefits of various government schemes.

 

To ensure that the benefits of technology reach every farmer, the ‘Mahavistar’ app has been updated to include ‘Bhilli,’ a tribal language. In future, other major tribal languages will also be incorporated into the app. For farmers who do not own smartphones, a voice-based information service named ‘Vasudha’ has been launched. Through this, farmers will receive advice on various topics, including crop health, pest management and general agricultural practices.

 

To facilitate long-term investment in the agricultural sector, the ‘Krishi Samruddhi Yojana’ (Agricultural Prosperity Scheme) will be implemented. Under this scheme, substantial capital investment will be directed into the agricultural sector over the five-year period spanning from 2025-26 to 2029-30. This initiative is expected to bring about significant improvements in irrigation, storage facilities, agro-processing industries, and rural infrastructure.

 

To promote natural farming within the state, the Chief Minister’s Natural Farming Campaign is to be implemented for a period of two years. The campaign sets a target of bringing 500,000 hectares of land across the state under natural farming practices.


Diversifying Rural Incomes

The budget also extends attention to the broader rural ecosystem that sustains farming households. Agricultural labourers will now be covered under the Gopinath Munde Accident Ex-gratia Scheme, offering them a measure of financial protection. At the same time, the Chief Minister’s Rural Livestock Entrepreneurship Scheme seeks to diversify rural incomes by promoting activities such as cattle rearing, goat farming and poultry.


Institutionally, the government has gone a step further by granting the departments of Animal Husbandry and Fisheries the status of an agricultural sector. This change will allow them to access the same infrastructure support and incentives currently available to traditional farming activities. In fisheries alone, the proposed Chief Minister’s Matsya Sampada Scheme, backed by an annual outlay of Rs. 1,240 crore, aims to boost fish production and strengthen coastal livelihoods.


Whether these measures will deliver the promised agricultural transformation remains uncertain. But this budget reflects the government’s endeavour to render Maharashtra’s agricultural sector more empowered and competitive.


If the state can translate ambition into execution, the fields of Maharashtra may yet become laboratories for a more modern and perhaps more resilient Indian agriculture.


(The author is a farmer and resident of Latur district. Views personal.)


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