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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.

Pager Blasts: A Global Threat?

Updated: Oct 21, 2024

Pager Blasts

Imagine ending your day, exhausted, but pausing before using your phone, laptop, or car radio. In Lebanon, such hesitation is now part of daily life. A new wave of terror – reportedly triggered by Israel in its relentless campaign to cripple Hezbollah - has shaken the country, with explosive devices embedded in pagers, walkie-talkies, and even solar cells. The devastation is staggering: over 30 dead and nearly 3,000 injured. This is a conflict not fought with drones or tanks, but with the very electronics that power modern life.

The scale and sophistication of these attacks suggest a well-calculated strategy aimed at spreading fear and chaos. While the immediate target is Hezbollah, the potential for this digital warfare to spread beyond Lebanon is a terrifying prospect. As nations like Iran, Syria, and other anti-Israel forces watch with alarm, the world is left asking: is anyone safe from this new form of electronic sabotage?

What began as an isolated conflict between Israel and Hezbollah could have far-reaching consequences. The attacks on electronic devices, now a critical part of daily life, have sparked fears that the entire supply chain - spanning from manufacturers in Taiwan and Japan to retail outlets worldwide - may become tainted. Consumers, already jittery from rising global tensions, could begin to shy away from the very products that keep the world connected.

The implications are clear - a decline in consumer trust, economic shockwaves, and a scramble to implement expensive screening technologies across global markets. Yet the fear of such attacks going mainstream is what truly haunts policymakers. Israel and Hezbollah are not the only adversaries with deep-seated rivalries. With tensions simmering between Russia and Ukraine, China and its neighbours in Southeast Asia, and even India and Pakistan, it is not hard to imagine this new form of electronic sabotage becoming a favoured tactic in global conflicts.

India, with its large population and dependency on imported electronics, is particularly vulnerable. Consider the fact that a vast portion of the world’s consumer electronics are made in China - a country with which India has an uneasy relationship. Moreover, Pakistan, which has long sought to destabilize India, could see this as an opportunity to stir chaos, possibly with support from other regional players like China or Turkey.

The potential for widespread harm is clear. India has been no stranger to terrorist attacks, from the 2006 Mumbai train bombings to the 26/11 attacks. And while the country has developed a robust defence against conventional terror, the emerging threat of electronic sabotage demands new, preventive measures. If India is to avoid disaster, advanced detection systems will need to be implemented across the country - at ports, airports, and even consumer electronics stores. This will undoubtedly add costs, but in a world where electronic warfare could become the new norm, the investment is a small price to pay.

As nations worldwide grapple with the implications of Israel’s latest campaign against Hezbollah, one thing is certain: the old rules of war no longer apply. With the ability to turn everyday electronics into weapons, this digital conflict is reshaping the global security landscape. Nations will need to rethink how they approach security, trade, and diplomacy in an era where any device could be a Trojan horse.

For Lebanon, the immediate aftermath is grim: a country on edge, citizens afraid of their own devices. But the rest of the world, too, must confront the unsettling reality that digital sabotage is no longer a far-off possibility. It is here to stay, and is a threat that no nation can afford to ignore.

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