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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.

Haiti’s Inferno

Updated: Jan 9, 2025

A nation haunted by history and held hostage by gangs.

Haiti

Few places on Earth have endured as much as Haiti. The first independent Black republic in the world, it emerged from the fires of revolution in 1804 only to face centuries of isolation, exploitation, and instability. Today, the Caribbean nation faces a new kind of torment—gangs that rule vast swathes of its capital, Port-au-Prince, with an iron fist, perpetuating a cycle of violence that has claimed over 5,600 lives in the past year alone, according to the United Nations.


The numbers are staggering. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) reported a further 2,212 injured and 1,494 kidnapped in 2024, figures that barely capture the horrors faced by Haitians daily. Gang violence has reached grotesque new lows, epitomized by a December massacre in the Cité Soleil neighbourhood, where over 200 people were slaughtered. Allegedly orchestrated by a gang leader seeking vengeance over the death of his child, the killings reflected not only the impunity enjoyed by these criminal groups but also the weaponization of deep-seated cultural fears, as victims were accused of using voodoo to harm the leader’s family.


Haiti’s modern struggles cannot be divorced from its history. The successful slave rebellion that birthed the nation also sealed its fate in the eyes of the colonial powers. France imposed an indemnity in 1825, a debt that crippled the country’s economy for over a century. Subsequent U.S. occupations, Cold War meddling, and decades of corrupt leadership eroded its political and institutional foundations.


The assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021 marked a grim turning point, plunging Haiti further into chaos. Since then, gangs have filled the power vacuum, controlling key supply routes and entire neighbourhoods. They tax local populations, engage in human trafficking, and often serve as unofficial enforcers for political elites.


Compounding this, Haiti faces a humanitarian crisis of staggering proportions. Chronic hunger afflicts millions, cholera and tuberculosis are resurging and essential services including healthcare, are collapsing under the weight of unchecked violence. The situation is so dire that even hospitals reopening after refurbishment are not spared from violence, as seen in the December attack on Bernard Mevs Hospital.


The United Nations-backed Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission, bolstered by new contingents from Guatemala and El Salvador, is the latest attempt to address the crisis. However, scepticism abounds. Similar missions in the past have failed to restore lasting stability, largely due to insufficient funding, poor coordination, and the inability to address Haiti’s entrenched economic and social inequalities.


The Haitian National Police has itself been tarnished by allegations of complicity in extrajudicial killings and lynchings. Restoring the rule of law seems a distant dream when law enforcement is both underfunded and mistrusted.


Efforts to stem the flow of arms into Haiti have also fallen short. The country’s porous borders and well-organized smuggling networks ensure that weapons intended for law enforcement or private militias often end up in the hands of gangs.


Cultural complexities add another layer to Haiti’s plight. Vodou, often misunderstood and demonized, is a central pillar of Haitian identity. Born from the syncretism of West African spiritual traditions and Catholicism during the colonial era, it has been both a source of resilience and a target of suspicion. Gangs have exploited these cultural currents to sow fear and justify atrocities.

Haiti’s descent into chaos demands more than piecemeal international interventions. Addressing the root causes of its crisis requires a multi-pronged approach. Restoring governance is paramount. The international community must not only support the MSS mission but also work towards strengthening Haiti’s democratic institutions, curbing corruption, and ensuring transparency in the allocation of aid.


As history’s first Black republic teeters on the brink of collapse, the world faces a moral imperative to act decisively. If not, Haiti’s inferno will continue to burn, consuming not just its people but the hope of a brighter future.

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