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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.

NCP (SP) bags the best deal in MVA

WITH 85 SEATS AND A FEW MORE FOR ITS SMALLER ALLIES, THE NCP (SP) HAS BAGGED A CHUNK OF THE PIE


MVA

Mumbai: The leader must get the best of the pie. And that’s exactly what Sharad Pawar has managed to get for his party. As the bitterly fought seat sharing talks come to a close, it is clear that the NCP (SP) has walked away with the best deal. Amidst hard negotiations, the three parties have agreed to a seat quota of 85 constituencies for each with another 15 being re-negotiated. The NCP (SP) seems to have cornered constituencies that are crucial for its consolidation and growth. The party, using its top boss’ contacts and friendships across politicians and parties, has roped in local strongmen particularly from western Maharashtra and Marathwada, it’s focus areas, leaving regions such as Vidarbha and Mumbai and Thane to the other constituents.


Party members were expecting around 75 to a maximum of 80 seats going by the strength of the parties and the winnability factor of the candidates. But Pawar has managed to rope in key leaders and regional strongmen, boosting his party’s chances at winning. The influx of leaders from the BJP and Ajit Pawar’s faction of the NCP from western Maharashtra and Nanded and Beed put the NCP (SP) in a higher position than its allies. Whether its Harshvardhan Patil, Laxman Dhoble or the influential Ghatge, Mohite-Patil and Naik-Nimbalkar families, these political leaders have upped the various candidates winnability. “It’s all about who can get the maximum turnout and we now stand a good chance given that our existing leaders and the new ones who have joined, all wield considerable clout in their respective regions,” says an NCP (SP) member.


This turnaround comes a year after the NCP was split by Ajit Pawar who walked away with legislators and party workers. Despite having lost the symbol and party name, the NCP (SP) aced the Lok Sabha elections with a strike rate of 80 percent. Now, three months later, the party has managed to snatch the best deal in the seat sharing arrangement within the MVA with the Congress getting the hardest hit. “We negotiated hard but gave in in the interests of the alliance staying intact. However, it’s not yet done; we will bargain for more seats in Vidarbha and Mumbai but our competitor here is Uddhav Thackeray and not Sharad Pawar,” says a Congress leader.


The seats secured by the NCP (SP) are crucial for the party which sees the sugar and milk belt of western Maharashtra as its bastion from the early days of Pawar’s political career. The seats set aside for the MVA’s alliance partners, too, are a result of Pawar’s good relations with these allies. Making the most of an adverse situation is a lesson that can be well learnt from Pawar. Even as the MVA formed the government in 2019, the undivided NCP bagged the maximum number and the most influential portfolios in the cabinet.


The NCP had taken 12 cabinet positions with portfolios linked to rural politics such as water resources, cooperation and rural development, apart from the key home and finance departments. Even now, the ‘architect’ of the MVA has managed to get a chunk of the pie for his party.

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