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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.

Acrimonious Alliance

Updated: Feb 14, 2025

Maharashtra’s ruling coalition, the Mahayuti, seems to be cracking at the seams. The alliance between Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis of the BJP and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde of the Shiv Sena appears to be fraying, with each passing week bringing new signs of strain. Once a kingmaker, Shinde now finds himself increasingly sidelined, his influence diminishing as Fadnavis consolidates control. The uneasy relationship between the two leaders is not merely a matter of political manoeuvring but is beginning to affect governance in a state regarded as one of India’s economic powerhouses.


The latest controversy stems from Shinde’s exclusion from the reconstituted State Disaster Management Committee. Though the government hastily amended rules to reinstate him following ire from Shinde’s camp, the episode laid bare the growing power imbalance. This is not an isolated incident. Earlier, Fadnavis ordered an investigation into Shinde’s tenure as transport minister over the procurement of Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) buses. The move was widely perceived as an attempt to weaken Shinde. More recently, Fadnavis appointed an IAS officer to lead the MSRTC, a role traditionally held by the transport minister - another Sena leader - further undercutting the party’s influence.


The discord extends beyond Shinde’s personal standing. Sena ministers are increasingly complaining about interference from the BJP. Uday Samant, the industries minister, recently penned a letter expressing his displeasure at bureaucrats making decisions without consulting him. Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik was denied the chairmanship of MSRTC, further stoking resentment. Meanwhile, Sena leader Bharat Gogawale, passed over for the guardian ministership of Raigad, boycotted a key district meeting, underscoring the party’s growing discontent.


At the heart of this power struggle lies Shinde’s diminished stature. When he defected from the Shiv Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray in 2022, bringing with him a substantial faction, he was rewarded with the chief minister’s chair. But the recent state elections changed the equation. The Mahayuti alliance secured 230 of 288 seats, but the BJP’s commanding victory meant that Fadnavis, who had reluctantly ceded the top post to Shinde in 2022, was now in a position to reassert his dominance.


Shinde has been conspicuously absent from key cabinet meetings, and when he does attend, he arrives late. The Opposition Sena (UBT) has claimed that Shinde appears to be struggling to reconcile himself to the reality that his tenure as chief minister was merely a temporary arrangement. His growing irrelevance has emboldened BJP leaders to encroach on his turf.


Maharashtra’s economic and administrative priorities risk being derailed by political infighting. Governance cannot take a backseat to factional battles. If the current trajectory continues, Shinde may find himself reduced to a mere figurehead, while real power is wielded by Fadnavis and the BJP. The question now is whether Shinde will attempt to push back or resign himself to the inevitable. Either way, Maharashtra’s governance remains the collateral damage in this increasingly acrimonious power struggle.

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