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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.

‘Farmers should use govt apps for updates’

Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday appeal farmers to seek help from government apps for supply of genuine seeds and timely updates on weather and other agriculture related information.


Fadnavis, who addressed a press conference after a Kharif preparedness review meeting, said steps are being taken to ensure that genuine seeds, fertilisers and crop loans are made available to farmers. He also said that the state is expected to have a good monsoon this year and the government has set the Kharif crop production target at 204 lakh metric tonnes.“The state will have more than average monsoon (this year). We have set the target of 204 lakh metric tonnes compared to 187 lakh tonnes last year. There will be no shortage of seeds and fertilisers,” he said.


The CM also urged farmers to purchase seeds from the central government’s SAATHI (Seed Traceability, Authentication and Holistic Inventory) portal.


“70,000 quintal seeds are traceable at present. Bogus seeds can be identified,” he said.Fadnavis said suppliers will be booked under the Essential Commodities Act if they coerce farmers to purchase fertilisers when they buy seeds, even if they don’t need them.Fadnavis also said that the agriculture department of the state government has developed an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered app named ‘Mahavistar’ to share weather and other agriculture related updates with farmers. Digital workshops will be organised at the taluka level to apprise farmers about the latest technological developments in the sector and efforts are being made to add a Marathi Chatbot in the app so that the farmers will be able to receive all the information in the language they are familiar with, he added.


The CM said district collectors were asked during the review to convene meetings of lead banks in their respective areas and ensure that farmers’ credit (CIBIL) scores are not insisted upon before loan disbursals.


Fadnavis said his government aims to increase investment in the Agriculture sector with Rs 5,000 crore every year and an early warning mechanism concerning climate change so that farmers can plan their crops better.


The CM also released the list of farmers eligible for benefits under MahaDBT scheme, which promises subsidies, help and other benefits on first come first served basis. For the year 2025-26 the state government has found 1,51,352 eligible farmers to receive benefits under the scheme for which Rs 839.55 crore have been allocated.

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