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.

Fractured Harmony

Updated: Oct 22, 2024

Communal tensions in Maharashtra are on the rise once again. The most recent flare-up in Amravati is a stark reminder of the fragile social harmony in the state. Twenty-one policemen were injured when a mob demanded action against a Hindu seer who made inflammatory remarks against the Prophet Mohammad in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad district. Although the police assured the crowd that an FIR had been filed against the seer, the protest escalated into violence, with stones being pelted at the police and damage caused to 10 police vans.

This is not the first time Amravati has witnessed communal tension linked to inflammatory remarks. In June 2022, a chemist named Umesh Kolhe was murdered in the city after sharing a social media post in support of suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma, who had made controversial comments about Prophet Mohammad. The brutal killing shocked the nation and highlighted how quickly tensions can escalate into violence when religious sentiments are involved.

The tensions are not confined to Amravati. In Bhiwandi, Thane district, unrest erupted after a stone was allegedly thrown at a Ganesh idol during its immersion procession, sparking an altercation between communities. Such incidents of communal violence are getting increasingly frequent, with religious tensions ready to ignite at any provocation. These incidents reflect a growing communal rift that has been exacerbated by political and social factors. Both Hindu and Muslim groups in the state have been mobilizing in response to real or perceived slights, with protests frequently descending into violence.

In the first half of 2023 alone, Maharashtra saw at least seven incidents of communal unrest, triggered by processions, religious sites, and inflammatory social media posts, leading to violent clashes between Hindu and Muslim groups. This recurring violence highlights deeper political, social, and economic tensions intertwined with religious identity. More troubling, however, is the Maharashtra Home Department’s failure to pre-empt or mitigate these conflicts. Law enforcement remains reactive, addressing violence only after it erupts, rather than focusing on prevention or fostering dialogue to address the root causes. In November 2021, a riot had again erupted in Amravati, when a curfew had to be imposed after BJP-led protests devolved into stone-pelting and vandalism.

The cyclical nature of communal violence means that both Hindu and Muslim groups are locked in a perpetual state of grievance and retaliation. Whether it is remarks against the Prophet or provocations during religious processions, both sides justify their actions as responses to perceived slights by the other. Economic factors have further exacerbated this volatile environment. Unemployment is rising, inflation remains stubbornly high, and rural districts like Amravati face acute economic distress. In such an environment, communal tensions offer an outlet for economic frustration, with religious identity becoming a convenient vehicle for expressing broader societal grievances.

Comments

bottom of page