top of page

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.

Challenge is employment for the youth

Deepak Kesarkar

In the past two years, Deepak Kesarkar has donned many hats as Guardian Minister of the metropolis of Mumbai, a legislator from the largely rural and agrarian region of Sawantwadi-Vengurla in Sindhudurg, a key leader of the Shiv Sena post the split and a minister for school education.


The roles have been diverse and the targets have been varied—from incorporating the CBSE syllabus in the state board curriculum and signing an employment contract with the German state of Baden-Württemberg to working on giving subsidies for mango processing. In the midst of ‘corner sabhas’ in his constituency, he talks about the reforms he has worked on and his vision for bringing employment to the youth of Maharashtra and prosperity to Sindhudurg.


Q. Sindhudurg is the first ‘tourism district’ in India and it’s potential still needs to be tapped. What is your development plan for Sindhudurg?

A: Development in Sindhudurg must be in tandem with preserving its natural resources. My thought process is that I want to double the per capita income of my people by working with this natural wealth and protecting the environment. That’s how we came up with the Chanda te Banda scheme. Sindhudurg has the most beautiful and abundant natural resources that are unmatched by any other region in our state. We have white sand beaches, a large part of Maharashtra’s 700 km coastline, the best fish, rich ecological diversity in our forests and we are the leading producers of cashew and coconut and next only to Ratnagiri in Alfonso mango cultivation. We have gorgeous corals which makes scuba diving a memorable activity. In fact, we are the leading district in Maharashtra for water sports and scuba diving. Our region needs a push in agriculture, sustainable tourism, food processing, all while preserving our natural environment.


Q. What is your vision for Maharashtra?

A. For me, one of the biggest challenges facing our state is lack of employment opportunities for our youth and making the youth employment-ready. Towards this, I have signed a contract with Baden-Württemberg in Germany, the sister-state of Maharashtra for several years now. Under this, four lakh youth will be trained and will get employment in Germany. The salaries that these young men and women will get are also much higher than what they’d get here. For instance, a person who will be paid Rs 20000 in Maharashtra, will earn Rs 3 lakh in Germany. Even if we send one lakh people, can you imagine how big the remittance economy will be. . We have signed contracts in the sectors of industries, start-ups and education. It’s the first such state-to-state agreement. We’ve also done a contract with the Tata Institute of Social Sciences to provide training employment after Class 12


Q. Which ministry would you like to work with next?

A. A ministry that gives me an opportunity to bring prosperity to Konkan. And there are several that are connected—salt pans or fisheries are very nuanced subjects and departments which are best understood by a person from Konkan. Horticulture is closely connected with this region just as agriculture, tourism and environment also are connected with Sindhudurg.

Comments

bottom of page