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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.

Plan to label opponents as Naxalites: Uddhav

Uddhav Thackeary with members of protest committee against Public Safety Bill at Azad Maidan, in Mumbai on Monday. Pic: Bhushan Koyande
Uddhav Thackeary with members of protest committee against Public Safety Bill at Azad Maidan, in Mumbai on Monday. Pic: Bhushan Koyande

Mumbai: The Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Monday said that the state government has a plan to label the political opponents as Naxalites and lodge them behind the bars. Due to which they have become desperate to get the nod to the Public Security bill but we will not allow this to happen.


Addressing a protest rally at Azad Maidan, Thackeray said, “The government will table the public security bill in the ongoing assembly session of the legislature. The Mahayuti want a weapon in their hand to suppress the opponents. We will not allow this to happen. I know they have a brute majority but we have the power on the streets. We have given one blow to them by making Hindi compulsory. We will vociferously oppose this bill across the state by taking it to the street”.    


“Indira Gandhi declared an Emergency which was lifted, but for the last 10 years there has been an undeclared Emergency across India, who will oppose it? But the BJP should keep this in mind that they have to face Shiv Sena if they adopt oppressive tactic,” he said.


Revised draft likely

The Mahayuti government is likely to table the revised draft of the Maharashtra Special Public Security Bill. The bill was first tabled in July 2024. The Opposition, activists, and members of civil society strongly opposed the Bill. A joint select committee was formed to review the Bill. Based on over 12,000 objections, the committee made a few changes and the revised Bill is likely to be tabled in the monsoon session. The original version of the Bill gave the state the power to prosecute not just organisations but individuals. In the revised draft, the Bill says that the organisations will be persecuted under the act (once it's passed).


The original version, despite claiming that it's being brought to curb naxal activities, had broadly used the word 'unlawful activities'. The new draft has changed it to 'unlawful leftist or hardline activities.' This amendment and many more parts of the Bill are still being opposed by the Opposition political parties, activists, and other organisations.


The civil society members claimed that the state already has the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA). They claimed that the vague wording of the Bill would give immense power to the state and would convert Maharashtra into a police state crushing any voice of dissent.


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