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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.

BluSmart Suspends Cab Services In Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru Amid SEBI Crackdown On Co-founder

  • PTI
  • Apr 17, 2025
  • 3 min read

Electric cab-hailing platform BluSmart remained non-operational on Thursday across Delhi-NCR, Bengaluru, and Mumbai, as the market regulator cracked down on its co-founder over alleged misuse of funds at an affiliated company.

BluSmart app, that offered more than 8,000 taxis in the three metros, stopped taking bookings on Wednesday evening and remained unoperational on Thursday as well. The sudden suspension puts the livelihood of thousands of drivers at risk and has led to customers venting out their frustration on social media.


The company, backed by BP Ventures - an arm of the global energy giant BP - did not immediately offer any comments on the issue.


"We've decided to temporarily close bookings on the BluSmart app," the firm said in an email to customers without giving any reasons.

Earlier this week, Sebi (securities and exchange board of India) banned brothers Anmol and Puneet Jaggi from the stock market and ordered a forensic investigation into their listed renewable energy company Gensol. The investigation focuses on allegations that they used funds intended for procuring electric vehicles to purchase luxury apartments.


"I have almost 20K balance in BluSmart and today morning got this mail that BluSmart services are suspended. What is this???When can get the refund of BluSmart is getting closed," said a customer in a post on X on Wednesday and attached the screenshot of the company's e-mail.

BluSmart in the e-mail assured to initiate a refund to customers within 90 days.


"We truly appreciate your support. While we strive to be back soon, we will initiate a refund within 90 days if services do not resume before that," the e-mail said.

Another customer wrote on X: "I loved BluSmart. More than the money in the wallet, I am more concerned about driver partners who will be out of job until the saga plays out..."

Meanwhile, Delhi Airport on Tuesday evening issued a passenger advisory, stating that "BluSmart has temporarily suspended its operations at Delhi Airport".


Apart from providing services in the three Indian cities, BluSmart also offers premium all-electric limousine services in the UAE, which it launched last June.


The company, as on January 9, had a fleet of over 8,500 electric vehicles and a charging network of 5,800 stations across 50 hubs in Delhi-NCR and Bengaluru, and was supported by 10,000-plus active driver partners.


Sebi on Tuesday barred Gensol engineering and promoters -- Anmol Singh Jaggi and Puneet Singh Jaggi -- from the securities markets till further orders in a fund diversion and governance lapses case.

The regulator has also debarred Anmol and Puneet Singh Jaggi from holding the position of a director or key managerial personnel in Gensol until further orders.


Further, the markets watchdog directed Gensol Engineering Ltd (GEL) to put on hold the stock split announced by it.


The order came after the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) received a complaint in June 2024 relating to the manipulation of share price and diversion of funds from GEL and thereafter started examining the matter.



According to Sebi's order, Gensol Engineering secured a total of Rs 977.75 crore in loans from IREDA and PFC, of which Rs 663.89 crore was meant specifically for the purchase of 6,400 electric vehicles (EVs). EVs were procured by the company and subsequently leased to BluSmart, a related party.


However, in a response submitted to Sebi in February, Gensol admitted that it had procured only 4,704 EVs till date -- far less than 6,400 for which it had received funding. This was corroborated by Go-Auto Private Limited, the EV supplier, which confirmed delivering 4,704 units to the company for a total consideration of Rs 567.73 crore.



Given that Gensol was also required to provide an additional 20 per cent equity contribution, the total expected outlay for the EVs was around Rs 829.86 crore. By that calculation, Rs 262.13 crore remains unaccounted for.

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