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.

Congress loses traditional Muslim voters to Sena (UBT)

UBT

Mumbai: Certain Congress leaders are contemplating whether it was the right decision to go again with the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) this time too.


Many Congressmen confessed that while the decision to be part of the coalition may eventually lead them to power they point out that being part of the MVA have cost them both their traditional Muslim voters and Muslim party workers dearly.


A case in point is the Shiv Sena’s (UBT) first list which does not have a single Muslim face as a candidate in it. “What is the point of this alliance?” fumes a Congress leader on conditions of anonymity. “While all of our Muslim voters have been voting for the Sena we haven’t got any of their Marathi voters voting for our candidates! Our Muslim votebank has diminished.”


He gives an example of the South Mumbai Lok Sabha seat won by Sena’s Arvind Sawant due to the Muslim votes from Byculla and Mumbadevi alone.


Another Congress leader points out that Sena is also ‘encroaching’ in their territory. “On Wednesday there was a gathering of many Muslim leaders and representatives specially from Mohalla committees at Islam Gymkhana in Mumbai to discuss the upcoming strategy. Almost 90 percent of guests in this gathering were Shiv Sainiks,” the leader says. “The Muslim organisations and members of civil society asked the Shiv Sena (UBT) workers why there is no representation to the community despite the Muslim voting for the party.”


A Congress insider claims that many Muslim party workers are leaving the party. “We used to have a large number of Muslim workers from Vidharbha and Marathwada who used to work with us.


They are now shifting their allegiance to other parties specially the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi.”


A senior Congress leader says the party will suffer in Mumbai by giving away its strongholds.


Nizamuddin Rayen, spokesperson for Mumbai Regional Congress Committee (MRCC), rubbishes all rumours of discontent amongst the Congress regarding the MVA pact. “The adjustment is happening in a good way, although lot of party workers may be angered with the way things are going, but the leaders will surely explain it to them.” He says the Muslims need not be worried by this as they are sure to get representation in the polls.


Nadeem Nusrath, General Secretary of the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) points out that through this alliance, the Congress has primarily been able to convey and demonstrate in very clear terms that secularism, liberty, freedom of expression and upholding in spirit and Constitution is the way forward in Indian polity.


“The Congress has been able to demonstrate in earnest that right wing political parties have accepted the fact that BJP, RSS is very narrow and parochial in its approach to Indian politics. Political power at all costs is their only dictum, to run this democracy.”


“When the people give their unconditional support to Congress, the internal dissatisfaction in the party becomes the primary and only spoiler,” says Nusrath.

Comments

bottom of page