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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.

From Wheel to Window Seat: The Surprising Perks of Public Transit

Updated: Oct 30, 2024

Public Transit

Seven years ago, I migrated to the city of dreams and settled down in Thane. After traveling regularly to south Mumbai for an initial period, since last one year I had been driving my XUV700 to the Kandivali office of Mahindra & Mahindra Limited. While my car, renowned for its smooth drive, helped me cover the distance, the relentless traffic and poor road conditions slowly eroded the pleasure—and even began to impact my health. The city’s inadequate road infrastructure, compounded by sluggish Metro construction, has been a glaring problem for years, with improvements seeming to rest on road developments from the era of Nitin Gadkari over two decades ago.


In the last several years, several startups have introduced business models that provide comfortable commuting solutions and have gained popularity amongst the daily office commuters. Compared to cab-aggregator services like Ola or Uber, these solutions are less expensive and more comfortable. I have been travelling through Cityflo bus service for the past one month to avoid traffic hassles. This realignment was done to overcome the extra fatigue and was not a calculated call much thought about. Surprisingly this change turned out to be a blessing in disguise to me.


Travelling by bus has added to my daily travel time and I had to realign my morning routine to ensure that I start early by at least 15 minutes to catch the bus. It was never an easy task for me as it demanded efficient time management. Further I did not want to compromise on my vital morning rituals like my physical workout, newspaper read and daily puja.


My first two travel days were altogether boring as I had no task to keep myself engaged while traveling. My inability to read the financial daily Business Standard was long haunting me. Suddenly I realized that I have created a sweet spot for myself to fulfill this task. Within a couple of days, occupying my seat and reading Business Standard became my standard protocol during my office travel.


This has facilitated increased academic awareness and enhanced engagements in office discussions on contemporary topics. This routine has helped me reframe my travel time into a valued pocket for learning and reflection. By nightfall, I trade the reading light for audio content, engaging with scholars like Dr. Vikram Sampath and J. Sai Deepak, or enjoying the music of legends like Lata Mangeshkar and Pt. Hari Prasad Chourasia. The adjustment has transformed my commute into a restorative experience, and my family has also noted the positive change.


All these days I struggled to find quality time to pursue my interests, but public transportation ensured that I was left with a couple of hours each day for my own well-being. Assuming that on a third of the occasions I still opt to drive, this still translates into 40 productive working man-days on an annualized basis, which would facilitate productive engagement to pursue my own interests.


That reminds me of a famous quote by Colombian President Gustavo Petro that “a developed country is not a place where the poor own cars, but where the rich people use public transport.” I am not sure what had prompted him to say so, but there is certainly an essence in what he has quoted. Developed countries are not just functions of higher Per Capita Income. Productive usage of resources, efficient time management by all the stakeholders, and higher happiness index of the common citizens go a long way in transforming the country into a developed nation. Effective time management and pursuit of personal passion play a key role in transforming individuals into an impactful performer. Reliable public infrastructure and efficient transportation also contribute to environmental sustainability. Altogether these changes, improve the quality of life, and result in enhanced economic power of the country. I unexpectedly realized that by opting to travel by public transportation, I am contributing towards the development of India.


(The author is a Chartered Accountant and works at Automotive Division of Mahindra and Mahindra Limited. Views personal.)

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