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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.

Maharashtra gasps for ‘gas’

Workers load LPG cylinders at a depot following recent price hikes for both domestic and commercial units in Nagpur on Tuesday. | Pic: PTI
Workers load LPG cylinders at a depot following recent price hikes for both domestic and commercial units in Nagpur on Tuesday. | Pic: PTI

 

Mumbai: An abrupt shortage of commercial LPG cylinders gripped many parts of Mumbai and Maharashtra hitting the hospitality sector and raising fears of a larger crisis as the Centre invoked the stringent Essential Services Maintenance Act, 1968, in a warning to potential hoarders.

 

Mumbai and surroundings are feeling the pinch of the commercial LPG (19-kg) cylinders used in restaurants, hotels, caterers, street-food vendors and other players in the food supply chains that feed crores daily.

 

Dealers claim that LPG supplies have been delayed or dropped sharply since last weekend, creating panic even among domestic consumers.

 

Maharashtra LPG dealers association president Deepak Singh admitted “some delays due to supply shortages” of commercial cylinders, but assured that there is no scarcity of domestic cylinders.

 

“We are adhering to the Centre’s guidelines for a 25 days booking period between 2 cylinders (domestic). The issue with commercial cylinders but even those are available though less in numbers. We are following the government’s guidelines by prioritising educational institutions, hospitals, and defence, but others are also getting their supplies,” said Singh in a social media statement.

 

However, the hotels and restaurants bodies said that around 20 pc of eateries, particularly the smaller ones have temporarily shut shop, and around 50 pc may down shutters within the next few days if the LPG supplies don’t normalise.

 

FHRAI Vice-President and HRAWI Western India Spokesperson Pradeep Shetty said that “shortage of commercial LPG has become extremely serious over the past week”, with intermittent disruptions escalating into a near complete halt in supply in several regions since yesterday.

 

The Ministry of Petroleum’s notification (March 5) created confusion among suppliers and distributors, many of whom have stopped supplying commercial LPG cylinders to hotels, restaurants and food service establishments, he pointed out.

 

Shetty said severe shortages are reported from Mumbai, Pune, Aurangabad, Nagpur, and similar disruptions in many other states and if the situation doesn’t improve by Thursday, there could be huge repercussions.

 

“Nearly 50 pc of Mumbai hotels and restaurants may be forced to close down temporarily depending on the LPG stock they currently hold. This will affect international tourists both, who are already here and those who will be visiting the country. Smaller and medium-sized eateries will be the first to be impacted, as they typically operate with limited reserves,” Shetty warned.

 

A housewife from Vasai, Ruma M. Bose today rushed to buy an induction stove and even repaired an old electric picnic stove to keep the domestic fires burning, just in case, though her society has a piped gas supply.

 

Retail dealers in Mumbai reported bookings by anxious domestic consumers after the refill period gap was extended to 25 days, though there are no confirmed instances of any black-marketing of LPG cylinders.

 

Thousands of distributors

Of India’s around 33.20 crore consumers, Maharashtra accounts for some 55-lakhs in domestic, commercial and industrial categories, with thousands of distributors dotting the state.

 

More than 75-80 pc of the hospitality sector depends on commercial LPG, and shortages or disruptions can deal a fatal blow. Mumbai alone has over 50,000 big and small eateries, and as per AHAR, 20 pc have shut shop for now, and upto 50 pc may soon follow suit.

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