top of page

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.

Murky Mandate

Updated: Feb 12, 2025

Prime Minister Albin Kurti claims a mandate, but Kosovo’s deep divisions and Western impatience may curb his ambitions.

Albin Kurti

Kosovo’s Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, is no stranger to political turbulence. Having led his left-wing Vetevendosje (Self-Determination) party to victory once again, he proclaims this as a confirmation of his governance. But his celebration may be premature. The vote count remains uncertain due to a malfunctioning electoral system, and while exit polls indicate his party leads with around 40 percent, that is a significant decline from its commanding 50 percent in 2021. More crucially, Kurti lacks a parliamentary majority, leaving Kosovo poised for another round of political brinkmanship.


While a government must be formed, the road ahead is fraught with obstacles. Kosovo’s constitution mandates that 10 out of the 120 parliamentary seats are allocated to the Serb minority, whose representatives refuse to cooperate with Kurti. A further 10 are reserved for other minorities, some of whom have previously sided with Vetevendosje. The opposition, a fractious mix of the centre-right Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), and the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), has made no secret of its desire to unseat Kurti, with the PDK already expressing optimism about its electoral performance.


Kurti’s political brand is both his strength and his weakness. His populist rhetoric and nationalist policies have strengthened his domestic support but alienated Kosovo’s Western backers. The European Union and the United States, traditionally Kosovo’s staunchest allies, have grown increasingly frustrated with his confrontational stance towards Serbia. Brussels and Washington favour a more pragmatic approach, urging dialogue and diplomatic engagement. Kurti, however, has taken a harder line, insisting on Kosovo’s sovereignty and resisting compromises that could placate Serbia or its international allies, including Russia. This has left Kosovo in a precarious position, reliant on Western support yet unwilling to bend to Western demands.


The opposition parties, sensing an opportunity, have campaigned on a more conciliatory approach. The centre-right LDK has advocated for Kosovo’s NATO membership and the restoration of warmer ties with the United States. The PDK, a party founded by former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) guerrillas, also leans towards Western alignment but remains sceptical of Kurti’s unilateral style of governance. Ramush Haradinaj, leader of the AAK and a former prime minister, has already signalled his willingness to forge a broad opposition coalition to keep Kurti out of power.


Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, nearly a decade after NATO ended Serbia’s crackdown on ethnic Albanians. While the US and most EU countries recognize it, Serbia, Russia, and China do not, thus blocking its EU ambitions and keeping it reliant on NATO’s KFOR peacekeepers.


Kurti’s electoral setback may reflect growing unease among Kosovars over economic stagnation. While his nationalist agenda has mobilised support, his government’s economic policies have faced criticism. Inflation has squeezed household incomes, and job creation remains sluggish. The opposition has seized on these grievances, offering a vision of economic stability and international reintegration that stands in contrast to Kurti’s defiant isolationism.


Kurti has ruled out cooperation with opposition parties, which may leave him scrambling for allies among Kosovo’s smaller ethnic minority groups. But even if he manages to form a government, his ability to enact policy will be constrained by a divided parliament and an increasingly impatient international community. The EU and the US have already expressed concerns about his handling of Kosovo’s Serb minority, and without their backing, his administration risks diplomatic paralysis.


Kosovo’s political deadlock reflects deeper structural issues. The country remains split along ethnic and ideological lines, with its institutions still fragile more than two decades after the war. As long as Kurti continues to prioritise nationalist fervour over pragmatic governance, Kosovo’s Western allies will grow more exasperated. And unless he finds a way to navigate Kosovo’s fractured political landscape, his latest victory may soon turn into a pyrrhic one.

Comments

bottom of page