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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.

Mahayuti’s ‘Problem Child’ in Marathwada

Updated: Nov 12, 2024

Marathwada

There is perhaps no more volatile Assembly segment in Marathwada ahead of the November 20 polls than in Sillod, where the schisms within the ruling Mahayuti coalition are at its peak.


The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has drawn a significant line with the local unit declaring that it will not campaign for its ally Abdul Sattar, a senior minister of Eknath Shinde’s ruling Shiv Sena candidate, who is seeking re-election from Sillod (in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district) for a fourth time.


Sattar, currently the state’s Minister for Minorities Development, has long been a polarising figure. Kamlesh Kataria, the city BJP president, accused Sattar of actively working to finish the BJP’s presence in Sillod and was allegedly threatening its workers. Kataria has accused Sattar of working against the BJP’s interests despite the two parties being allies by citing Sattar’s support for Congress candidate Kalyan Kale in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, which led to BJP stalwart Raosaheb Danve’s defeated in nearby Jalna constituency.


Originally elected as a Congress candidate in 2009 and 2014, Sattar had joined the undivided Shiv Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray ahead of the 2019 assembly elections, where he again emerged victorious. Post the Sena split, he aligned himself with the ruling Shinde faction.


The discontent with Sattar goes beyond electoral calculations. His personal brand of politics has become a liability, both within his party and beyond. His comments and actions have drawn ire from various quarters. More recently, his involvement in a teacher eligibility test (TET) scam, in which his daughters were named, has further tarnished his reputation. The scam, which involved the inflating of exam marks and the distribution of fake certificates, has added another layer of controversy to his already volatile political persona. Earlier, his provocative language against prominent leaders, including NCP’s Supriya Sule, triggered widespread protests.


The growing resentment among BJP workers in the region has paved the way for his arch rival, Suresh Bankar, to seize the day in a bid to settle scores with the Sena leader.


Bankar, a former BJP state secretary with deep ties to the disgruntled wing of the party, has now joined the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) and will be facing Sattar on November 20.


Bankar, who has clashed with Sattar before, has accused him of manipulating voter rolls in Sillod, alleging that the names of supporters from outside the constituency were fraudulently registered to boost Sattar’s chances in previous elections.


For Sattar, this is merely the latest chapter in a series of controversies that have dogged his career. His combative approach to politics - often marked by inflammatory rhetoric and allegations of misconduct -has put him at odds with allies and rivals alike. While he remains a key player in the Shinde faction in this region, the BJP’s public repudiation of his candidacy signals a formidable challenge for him in the coming contest.


The BJP’s decision not to support Sattar will have far-reaching implications for the minister, given that Bankar and the local BJP unit will actively conspire to pull him down. Can the abrasive Sattar maintain his political footing on Sillod’s slippery wicket?

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