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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 Reset in the Indian Ocean

Updated: Mar 21, 2025

After a rocky diplomatic year, India and the Maldives are finding common ground again.

Indian Ocean

Last year, India-Maldives relations appeared to be at their nadir. The newly elected President Mohamed Muizzu’s initial pro-China stance, coupled with the lingering echoes of the “India Out” campaign, raised concerns in New Delhi about the future of its traditionally warm ties with Malé. However, the trajectory of 2025 suggests a marked improvement in bilateral relations, buoyed by mutual strategic necessities and historical interdependencies.


The Maldives’ former President Mohamed Nasheed, in a recent discussion at the Raisina Dialogue, succinctly captured the island nation’s predicament when he said that the safety, security and prosperity of the Maldives depended on keeping good relations with India. His remarks underscored an enduring reality that New Delhi remains Malé’s most reliable partner in times of crisis.


Muizzu’s early days in office were marked by tensions with India. His administration distanced itself from the country’s long-standing security partnership with New Delhi, seeking to reduce the Indian military’s footprint in the archipelago. This shift was widely perceived as a tilt towards China, which has been increasing its influence in the Maldives through infrastructure investments albeit at the cost of significant debt distress.


Yet, the need for developmental assistance, economic stability, and crisis management brought New Delhi back into the picture. The Maldives’ Foreign Minister MoosaZameer had explicitly distanced his government from the ‘India Out’ campaign that had been championed by former President Abdulla Yameen. This was reinforced by Defence Minister Ghassan Maumoon’s visit to India, where he acknowledged New Delhi’s consistent role as the Maldives’ first responder in times of crisis.


For decades, India has extended military, economic and humanitarian aid to the Maldives, irrespective of the political dispensation in Malé. When mercenaries attempted a coup in 1988, India swiftly launched ‘Operation Cactus’ to reinstate the legitimate government. Following the 2004 Asian tsunami, India provided substantial relief aid. In 2014, under Yameen’s rule, New Delhi had dispatched potable water when Malé’s only desalination plant suffered a fire accident – this, despite his anti-India stance. More recently, during the COVID-19 pandemic, India delivered medical supplies and extended $250 million in financial aid to the Maldives when tourism, its economic lifeline, collapsed.


These instances illustrate why Maldivian leaders eventually gravitate back towards India. A recent Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two nations will facilitate further High Impact Community Development Projects (HICDPs), reinforcing India’s long-term role in Maldivian development.


Beyond economic and developmental cooperation, defence relations are also stabilizing. India has agreed to replace its military personnel operating aerial platforms in the Maldives with civilian experts. Simultaneously, India has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening the Maldives’ defence capabilities, announcing a $4 million grant for supplying essential equipment to the Maldivian National Defence Force (MNDF).


The timing of these developments is crucial, given China’s continued attempts to entrench itself in the Indian Ocean region. During a recent visit to Malé, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi emphasized fast-tracking key infrastructure projects, particularly in housing and road construction. His visit, while symbolic of Beijing’s growing influence, lacked a strategic security component, indicating that Malé is maintaining some distance when it comes to deeper military engagement with China.


Unlike its assertive stance against Chinese encroachments elsewhere in South Asia, India has opted for quiet diplomacy and strategic patience in dealing with the Maldives. By ensuring a smooth transition in the defence arrangement and continuing its developmental initiatives, India has reinforced its indispensable role without appearing overbearing.


This approach seems to be yielding results. The recalibration of ties, characterized by renewed defence cooperation and economic collaboration, suggests that the worst of last year’s turbulence is behind them. If recent months are any indication, the Maldives understands the perils of over-reliance on Beijing and the value of sustaining a cooperative relationship with India. For India, patience and continued engagement appear to be the most effective strategies in ensuring that its smallest maritime neighbour remains within its strategic fold.

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