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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.

Arvind Kejriwal: Political Firestarter

Updated: Oct 21, 2024

Arvind Kejriwal: Political Firestarter

Few Indian politicians embody the contradictions of modern politics like Arvind Kejriwal. The former bureaucrat-turned-anti-corruption crusader, who once inspired legions with his slogan of clean governance, now finds himself locked in a complex battle over his own integrity.

On Friday, Kejriwal emerged from Tihar Jail to a hero’s welcome from supporters of his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Released on bail by India’s Supreme Court, the Delhi Chief Minister wasted no time in portraying his incarceration as a moral victory and, in a thinly-veiled rebuke at the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), claimed he had been targeted not for corruption but for daring to fight “anti-national forces” allegedly weakening India.His release has ignited a wave of celebration within AAP ranks, as though a political victory has been secured ahead of the upcoming Delhi assembly election. But such celebrations may be premature.

Kejriwal’s legal troubles stem from the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy, an ambitious attempt to reform the city’s alcohol sales framework. The policy’s alleged flaws gave rise to corruption charges involving the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED), resulting in his earlier this year. The agencies accuse him of graft and money laundering, charges he denies vehemently. Yet, despite being granted interim bail in the ED’s money laundering case in July, Kejriwal’s release was delayed due to his subsequent arrest by the CBI. The spectacle of his staggered detentions has led many to view his predicament through a political lens, with Kejriwal depicting himself as a victim of a conspiracy orchestrated by the central government by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

In an unusually pointed observation, Justice Bhuyan of the Supreme Court questioned the timing of Kejriwal’s arrest - 22 months after the first information report (FIR) was registered - while criticizing the CBI’s handling of the case, reminding the agency of its duty to act with integrity and fairness and not to function as a “caged parrot” speaking in its master’s voice.

And yet, Kejriwal’s release on bail is far from an exoneration. The legal proceedings against him are expected to drag on. As the BJP was quick to point out, Kejriwal’s bail is a civil right, not an acquittal. The trial will soon commence, and the AAP leader still faces a long legal battle ahead.

Kejriwal’s arrest has come at a politically sensitive time. Delhi is set to hold its Assembly elections in early 2025, and the BJP is already recalibrating its strategy. For months, the BJP has portrayed AAP as a “den of corrupt leaders,” highlighting the arrests of Kejriwal’s close associates, including former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and Health Minister Satyendra Jain, on similar corruption charges. With Kejriwal and his associates now out on bail, the BJP will likely shift its narrative to focus on the alleged “constitutional crisis” in the capital.

From his early days as an anti-corruption activist, Kejriwal has cultivated an image of himself as a man willing to challenge entrenched interests. His tenure as Delhi’s CM has often been marked by conflict with the central government over the city-state’s limited powers, a struggle that resonates with voters who view him as a voice for local governance.

His political rise has always been unconventional, marked by his ability to turn crises into opportunities. Whether it was his brief resignation (for 49 days) in 2014 or his frequent clashes with the central government, Kejriwal has consistently positioned himself as an outsider, fighting the political establishment on behalf of ordinary citizens. This narrative of victimhood has resonated with his supporters, allowing him to weather scandals that might sink other politicians.

His administration has been lauded for populist policies like free electricity, water, and healthcare, which have won him strong support among Delhi’s lower-middle class.

But Kejriwal’s political journey has not been without contradictions: he has adopted pragmatic strategies to stay politically relevant, sometimes allying with figures he once opposed.

His immediate challenge is to navigate the legal labyrinth ahead, even as he prepares for the forthcoming elections.

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