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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.

Lokyogi – The Saga of a Mass Leader

The journey of a leader who measured success not by personal gain, but by service to the people.


In Lokyogi, Shivajirao Patil Kavhekar offers not just a chronicle of his life, but a rich, deeply personal narrative of the transformation of a village, a region, and ultimately, a man who rose from the soil of rural Maharashtra to shape political, social, and agricultural change with unwavering dedication.


Born on July 11, 1954, in the small village of Kavha in Latur tehsil, Kavhekar’s early life was rooted in simplicity and service. Raised in a farming family with strong ties to the Arya Samaj movement and a legacy of leadership, his father was a respected Police Patil and a prominent landlord. Kavhekar imbibed the values of duty, discipline, and social reform from an early age. These formative influences are vividly recalled in his autobiography, as he brings alive memories from both his maternal and paternal ancestral homes, sketching the intellectual and moral foundation of his life’s journey.


From a young student with a passion for education and community improvement to a fiery reformist in college movements and eventually a towering political figure, Kavhekar's life reads like a blueprint for grassroots leadership. His rise from sarpanch to chairperson of the Latur Agricultural Market Committee, and ultimately to Member of the Legislative Assembly, defeating Vilasrao Deshmukh in the 1995 elections, was no mere accident of fate. It was the result of decades of relentless effort, political astuteness, and a fierce will to serve.


Kavhekar’s narrative is not one of privilege, but of grit. The struggles he faced, the resistance he encountered, and the systemic injustice he sought to challenge are laid bare in this autobiography with admirable honesty. Whether addressing the exploitation of farmers in market committees or championing the cause of mathadi workers and women labourers, his voice consistently rises for the voiceless.


His work in education, especially the establishment of the JSPM educational trust and creation of 40 branches across the region, helped build what came to be known as the ‘Latur Pattern’, a model of academic excellence in rural Maharashtra. Through initiatives like the Maharashtra Nagari Sahakari Bank, Kavhekar also focused on the financial empowerment of marginalised communities, particularly women and economically backward groups.


But what truly sets Lokyogi apart is not just the catalogue of accomplishments; it’s the soul behind them. The book brings us face to face with a man who saw leadership not as a ladder to personal gain but as a platform for public welfare. Whether engaging in youth politics, serving as vice president of the BJP’s Kisan Morcha, or leading agitations for the development of Marathwada, Kavhekar never lost sight of his core mission: upliftment through unity.


His political life, spanning affiliations with the Congress, Janata Dal, NCP, and BJP, is a testament to his ideological adaptability without compromising his moral compass. He worked with stalwarts like Sharad Pawar, Rajiv Gandhi, Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, and Vilasrao Deshmukh, each encounter enriching his political persona. One particularly telling episode involves the word “mamuli” used in an assembly election campaign, which Kavhekar uses to illustrate the power of language in shaping political outcomes.


In 1995, after being denied an assembly ticket by the Congress party, Shivajirao Patil Kavhekar contested the election as a Janata Dal candidate against the formidable Vilasrao Deshmukh and emerged victorious, securing an impressive 107,000 votes.


Visually evocative, emotionally resonant, and written in a fluid, compelling style, Lokyogi is as much a personal memoir as it is a historical account of rural Maharashtra’s transformation. His stories of village transformation, turning a violence-prone Kavha into a smart village, and his championing of farmer rights, market reforms, and education, show how vision and perseverance can indeed change the world, one decision at a time.


The title Lokyogi, meaning ‘a sage among the people’, is apt and symbolic. Kavhekar is not portrayed as a distant, exalted figure, but as a leader deeply embedded in the lives of the common people. His saga is not merely one of success but of meaningful service.


This autobiography is not just a book; it is a movement in print. A legacy to inspire future generations of political leaders, social reformers, and everyday citizens who dare to believe that leadership, at its best, is a sacred duty to serve.


(The writer is a journalist based in Latur. Views personal.)

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