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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.

Granddaughter of Vasantdada Patil joins BJP

Mumbai: Jayashree Patil, the granddaughter-in-law of former Maharashtra Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Vasantdada Patil, joined the BJP in presence of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at the state BJP headquarters here on Wednesday.


Jayashree Patil is the last member of Vasantdada Patil family to leave Congress. With her joining the BJP, none of the family members of one of the strongest Chief Ministers of the Congress are anymore with the grand old party. Vasantdada is remembered as the leader who was always connected with the grassroots and he played a crucial role in spreading the Congress party across the state and giving it the tight grip over rural politics through Cooperative movement.

 

Mrs Patil, who is Vice Chairperson of the Sangli District Cooperative Bank joined the BJP along with hundreds of her followers. She said, she decided to join the BJP for development of Sangli and that she is joining the party without any conditions and that she has not sought any post from the BJP leadership.

 

“I had rebelled during assembly elections as the Congress party did injustice to us. I’m confident that in the BJP I’ll get the honour that I didn’t get while in Congress,” Mrs Patil said while speaking after joining the BJP.

 

Guardian minister of Sangli Chandrakant Patil played a major role in bringing her to the party fold. “It is very important moment as a person from Vasantdada Patil’s family is joining the BJP,” Chandrakant Patil said. Several other local Congress leaders like former mayor Kishor Saha, Kanchan Kamble, Prashant Patil, Shevanta Waghmare, Uttam Sakhalkar, former chief of standing committee Santosh Patil, former corporators Ajit Suryavanshi, Rohini Patil, Mrinal Patil, Karan Jamdar and president of district labour federation Sunil Jadhav too joined the BJP along with Mrs Patil on the occasion.MLAs Suresh Khade, Sudhir Gadgil, state president of Janasurajya Party Sumit Kadam, Sangli district BJP president Samrat Mahadik and City president Prakash Dhang were present at the occasion.

 

People are fed up with directionless leadership of Congress: FadnavisCM Fadnavis reminded of several of the people-centric decisions made by Vasantdada Patil while he was the Chief Minister and said that Jayashree Patil is carrying that legacy of connect with the people. He also said that though the Congress didn’t take note of her abilities, she won’t have such a disheartening experience in the BJP. The party’s strength shall grow considerably in the district because of her joining the party, he added.

 

“Even when the party was in opposition, the BJP never shun the ideology of national interest and social good. But, after having to sit in the opposition, the Congress has gone rudderless. Its leadership is directionless,” Fadnavis said without naming Rahul Gandhi.

 

Loyalists within the Congress are all frustrated because the leadership is constantly talking against the Indian army. This is leading to demoralization of local leadership of the party and that is the reason why Congress leaders across the state are all willing to join the BJP, Fadnavis said.


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