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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.

Boon To Working Middle Class

Updated: Feb 3, 2025

Working Middle Class

Year after year the union budget continues to be a very popular event in the country, especially for the working middle class, more importantly for the salaried and the MSME business class. The budget speech is generally divided into two parts. The First part mainly covers various budget allocations to different sectors of the economy of the country. The second part generally deals with the provisions of personal and corporate income tax which affects the entire middle class of the country. It also deals with indirect taxes i.e the customs duty and GST. However, in the recent past, it has been noticed that the GST provisions are amended almost throughout the year. Hence the main focus as far as the working middle class is concerned is on the provisions of the personal income tax.


New income tax Bill to be introduced

This year’s budget speech was no exception as the first part dealt with budget allocations to several key sectors like promoting skillful indigenous manufacturing, Education, Health Care, urban development and financial sector. Right at the beginning of the second part, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced that a new Income Tax Bill will be introduced in a week’s time. So, the nation can expect a completely new income tax act that can come into force very soon. The objective of the new Income Tax bill is to simplify the Act. The present Income Tax Act, 1961 is considered by many as an ambiguously worded complex text which has led to a lot of litigations on its interpretational aspect in the past. The new bill is expected to be worded in a very simple manner.


Amendments to personal income tax

The Finance Minister proposed some very beneficial income tax provisions right towards the end of her budget speech. For several years now, the middle class which has been the major contributor to the personal income tax collection in the country has been demanding a lower rate of income tax. This demand has mainly triggered from the high inflation rate, the higher cost of living and the reduced spending capacity of the middle class owing to the fact that a substantial portion of their salaries is used up in payment of high taxes. A lower personal income tax rate would result into a sizable disposable income in the hands of the middle class which would result in higher spending which in turn would trigger the economic growth that the PM Narendra Modi has been envisaging for a very long time.


The amount of income up to which no tax shall be payable was Rs 5 lakhs in 2023. This amount was increased to Rs. 7 lakhs in the Finance Act. 2024. This amount has further been increased to a whopping 12 lakhs in the current budget. This has come as a big relief to all the middle-class people who have income up to 12 lakhs. Hence a person having total taxable income upto Rs 12 lakhs will not be required to pay any income tax. In fact, a salaried taxpayer will not be required to pay any tax where his income before standard deduction is less than or equal to Rs.12,75,000. The new tax slabs are also expected to reduce the tax burden of persons having income in excess of Rs.12 lakhs. The basic exemption limit has also been increased from 2.5 lakhs to 4 lakhs. This means that a person having total taxable income up to ₹4,00,000 need not file an income tax return at all. However, it is worth noting that persons having income between 4 lakhs to 12 lakhs must file a return of income and claim a rebate. They will not be required to pay any tax though.


In case of senior citizens, the threshold above which TDS is required to be deducted on interest on fixed deposits has been raised from Rs. 50,000 to Rs. 1,00,000. The provision to claim two house properties as self-occupied properties without any condition is also a welcome amendment. Also, In the previous budget a new provision to file an updated return was introduced wherein a taxpayer could file his or her return of income upon payment of the taxes up to two years from the end of the year. After having received a positive response with over 90 lakhs updated returns being filed in the past year. The period of filing such updated returns has been extended from 2 to 4 years.


Rationalisation of TDS limits

Businesses are also expected to benefit from a reduction in the compliance by rationalization of TDS limits on payment of rent, professional fees, commission etc. Small charitable trusts should also benefit from lesser compliance by the extension of the validity of their registration from 5 years to 10 years. On one hand the working middle class will be happy with the reduction in their tax burden and on the other they will also be hoping that the huge spending will result in employment, good infrastructure and better living conditions.

(The author is a Chartered Accountant based in Mumbai.)

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