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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.

Malnutrition the Problem

Malnutrition

To curb the infant mortality rate and reduce the percentage of malnutrition, the Maharashtra government took a decision for the newborns. The state government will distribute ‘Chief Minister baby care kits’ to the infants born in government hospitals and Public Health Centers (PHC’s) in the state. The intention behind the somewhat less publicised scheme is good but lets see how it travels across the state.


The Department of women and child development has claimed that out of the 20 lakh pregnant women (8 lakh in urban areas & 12 lakh in rural areas) who give birth annually, only 50 percent of such women get their names registered in the state health care centres and government hospitals. Moreover, around 4 lakh are first time mothers. As per this new Baby Care Kit Scheme, mothers of new born babies would be provided with baby care kits to encourage them to give birth to their child in hospitals. This would ensure that the children gets mother’s milk and proper nourishment. Such a scheme is operating in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Telangana and it has shown good results in those states. This scheme in Maharashtra will ensure that the Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) is reduced in the state. The Department has made the provision of Rs. 80 crore to provide the kits under this Scheme.


The kits will be distributed to all the women by the state government after their first delivery. The Chief Minister baby care kits will be distributed to pregnant and lactating mothers. The scheme is being implemented through the integrated child development services project and health department. The prime motive is to decrease the infant mortality rate. According to senior officials of the department many times, the newborn babies are placed on the floor in the tribal areas. Due to this the babies fell ill for want of warmth. So in order to take care of these infants, the Anganwadi Sevikas and other health employees are giving training to the mothers. At the same time providing warmth to the Infant and keeping them neat and tidy is also necessary and inevitable. So it was decided to give some items required to the mother and the newborn babies.


Considering all the requirements the Baby Care Kit is designed. This comprises baby clothes, a Small bed, towel, plastic diaper (Nappies), body massage oil, thermometer, mosquito net, woollen blanket, shampoo, nail cutter, hand gloves, socks, body wash liquid, hand sanitizer, woollen clothes for mother and small toys. The items in the kit which would cost around Rs. 2,000 in the market. For this scheme, the government has sanctioned Rs 20 crore in the first phase and the provision will be increased in the near future. This scheme will be implemented in the entire state for all the sections of the society. These kits are to be distributed free of charge for all the mothers who will be giving birth to the babies in government Primary Health Centre and government hospitals.

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