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.

Day after PM lauds caste census, Congress fires back with his past videos criticising survey demand

  • PTI
  • May 26, 2025
  • 2 min read


NEW DELHI: A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the decision to conduct a caste census, the Congress on Monday took a swipe at him and posted videos of him from last two years criticising the opposition's party's demand for such a survey.


Prime Minister Modi asserted on Sunday that caste enumeration is a step towards bringing into the mainstream of development those left behind, as he emphasised that his government does not believe in caste politics but in the empowerment of the marginalised.


Two resolutions, one hailing the valour of armed forces and PM Modi's brave leadership in the context of the recent military action and another praising the decision of caste enumeration in the next census- were passed at the conclave.

Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh shared two video clips of the prime minister in which he is heard criticising the opposition's pitch for a caste census.


"On April 30, 2025, in the period between the Pahalgam terror attacks and the launch of Operation Sindoor, the Modi government unexpectedly and suddenly announced a caste census.


Yesterday, the PM expectedly took full credit for it in the NDA CMs meeting," Ramesh said.


"But just listen to what the PM had said - 1.On October 2, 2023, when the findings of the Bihar caste survey were released.


2.On April 28, 2024, when asked about the INC's demands for a caste census," Ramesh said and tagged the two video clips.


In the first clip Modi is heard saying, "they (opposition) used to divide the society on the basis of caste and continue to commit that sin even now".


In the second clip, the PM, when asked about the Congress demand for a caste census, says it is part of the "urban naxal mindset".


While there was no immediate reaction from the BJP, party chief JP Nadda had said after Sunday's NDA meeting that a census of castes was always part of the ruling alliance's imagination, noting that the Bihar government headed by JD(U) leader and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was the first to do it.


The resolution has made it clear that the NDA does not believe in caste politics but acknowledges the need for a caste census to bring into the mainstream of development the deprived, exploited, Dalits and others left behind.


It is the need of the society, he added.


The Centre last month announced that caste enumeration will be part of the next population census, with the inclusion of caste details for the first time since independence.


Opposition parties, including the Congress, had been demanding a nationwide caste census, making it a major election issue.


Some states like Bihar, Telangana and Karnataka have conducted such surveys.

Comments

bottom of page