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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.

AAP, BJP wrangle over Delhi's 'poor' air quality after dust storm

  • PTI
  • May 15, 2025
  • 2 min read


New Delhi: The drop in air quality due to a dust storm has sparked political sparring in Delhi with the opposition AAP claiming the situation was "never this bad" during its rule and the BJP terming the charge an attempt at scoring political brownie points.


An overnight duststorm led to Delhi's air quality slipping into the poor category with an AQI of 236 at 8 am on Thursday after staying steady at a moderate level for the past few weeks.


Former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal wrote on X that the air pollution situation was "never this bad" during this time of the year under the Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP's) rule.


The ex-CM's views were echoed by his successor and senior AAP leader Aitishi who claimed in the social media platform that Delhi's AQI has never been so high in May.


Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data shows that from 2022-2024, AQI on May 15 never exceeded 243, she said. "Today, the AQI is 500."


Atishi wondered derisively whether Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa would take responsibility for the city's worsening air pollution.


Sirsa hit back, saying it was "unfortunate" that a former chief minister was using a natural phenomenon to score political brownie points. The "real blame" lies on the AAP, which neglected pressing issues during its 10-year rule in Delhi, the BJP leader said.


"Today's spike in AQI was due to a weather event, not misgovernance.


But let's talk about real misgovernance Atishi ji¿ For 10 years, AAP allowed Delhi to drown in mountains of untreated legacy waste, broken and dust-choked roads with ZERO accountability on pollution!" the city environment minister said on X.


Senior AAP leader and former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia claimed the AQI had reached 500 and he shared on X a mobile phone screenshot of the air quality figure.


"The four engines of the BJP government are emitting smoke in Delhi. The AQI in Delhi is currently 500 -- meaning poison! Sunlight is not visible, one cannot breathe, eyes burn, and throat is sore. No planning, no accountability, no emergency plan. Only speeches and slogans," he said.


An AQI between zero and 50 is considered 'good', 51 and 100 'satisfactory', 101 and 200 'moderate', 201 and 300 'poor', 301 and 400 'very poor', and 401 and 500 'severe'.

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