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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.

‘Kharge’s mother, sister died in Razakar attack but he keeps mum for Muslim vote’

Updated: Nov 15, 2024

Yogi Adityanath

Amravati: Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday claimed Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge purposely keeps mum on the tragic death of his mother and sister in an attack by Razakars as he feared losing Muslim votes.


Days after Kharge criticised the seer-turned-politician on his saffron attire and “Batenge to Katenge” slogan, Adityanath launched a strong counterattack at a poll rally in Maharashtra’s Amravati.


He accused the Congress veteran of suppressing these painful personal memories for political expediency. Adityanath alleged Congress ignores historical atrocities for the sake of vote bank politics.


Kharge has conveniently forgotten the history of the Razakars under the Nizam of Hyderabad despite the personal loss he had suffered, Adityanath said.


“(Mallikarjun) Kharge’s village, Varawatti, was also burned down by Razakars, and his mother, aunt, and sister died in the attacks,” Adityanath claimed.


He alleged Kharge was suppressing this truth fearing he might lose Muslim votes if he spoke about atrocities committed by the Nizam’s forces.


“Congress is trying to reject history and Kharge has conveniently forgotten what happened to his family, just for vote bank politics,” said the Uttar Pradesh chief minister.


The Razakars was a paramilitary force that operated in the erstwhile princely state of Hyderabad with a primary objective to maintain the rule of the Muslim Nizams of Hyderabad and prevent the accession of Hyderabad to India.


The UP CM further alleged that the historical leadership of Congress compromised with the Muslim League in 1946, resulting in the division of India and the killing of Hindus.


“When the Nizam realised during the Independence movement that he could not remain independent, he resorted to killing Hindus.”


He claimed B R Ambedkar had advised Hindus and Scheduled Castes to move to Maharashtra for their safety (from the Nizam-ruled territory).


Adityanath also warned against divisions within the nation. “If you are divided, your daughters will become unsafe, temples will be attacked, and communities targeted. This is the reality of what happens when you are not united,” Adityanath said while drawing a parallel with the “rise of instances of love jihad and land jihad in Maharashtra” and blaming the erstwhile Congress governments.


He accused the opposition MVA of turning Maharashtra into a “base for love jihad and land jihad,” warning that the western state should not become a “laboratory”. “Because you were divided, this country was divided, and Hindus were killed because they were divided. That is why I have come to tell you: don’t get divided. ‘Ek hain toh safe hain’”.


He also revisited the Ayodhya issue, asserting that Hindus faced 500 years of humiliation because they were divided.


“We were divided, and that is why we suffered. ‘Hum bate the isliye kate the (Since we were divided, we fell),” the seer-turned-politician said.


Adityanath said in Uttar Pradesh, there was no such issue as “love jihad” or “land jihad. “Anyone who poses a danger to the safety of daughters or dares to capture land belonging to the poor and the government, ‘Yamraj’ will be ready to cut their tickets,” Adityanath added.


During a poll rally, Kharge had said, “On the one hand, you wear ‘gerua’ (saffron) clothes, and on the other hand, you say ‘batoge to katoge’. I would say to the BJP, either wear white clothes or if you are a sanyasi, wear ‘gerua’ clothes, but then get out of politics,” Kharge had said.

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