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.

PM Modi inaugurates Pamban bridge in TN, CM Stalin skips event

  • PTI
  • Apr 6, 2025
  • 4 min read

Rameswaram: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurated the Pamban bridge, India's first vertical lift sea bridge and flagged off train service linking Rameswaram island to the rest of the country. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin skipped the event.


Modi flagged off a Coast Guard ship that sailed under the bridge and also laid foundation stone for and dedicated to the nation various rail and road projects totally worth over Rs 8,300 crore. In his address, Modi said the day marked the auspicious occasion of Ram Navami and that Lord Ram's good governance is the foundation for nation building.


He also outlined the connect Tamil Nadu had to Lord Ram by quoting Sangam era literature. On the fishermen issue vis-a-vis Sri Lanka, he said over the past decade, more than 3,700 fishermen have been brought back from Sri Lanka, including over 600 in the past year alone.


While Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin skipped the event and upped the ante on the delimitation issue saying Modi should allay the fears of the people on the proposed exercise, the PMr, without naming anyone, hit back by picking the Tamil pitch. He batted for imparting medical education in Tamil medium to help the poor and said the state got 11 new medical colleges in recent years.


Modi said efforts were on to take Tamil language, heritage to all corners of the world. Without naming anyone, the PM said he gets letters from leaders of Tamil Nadu and "they do not sign in Tamil," and asked them to atleast sign in in Tamil. Earlier, the prime minister prayed at the Ramanathaswamy temple here.


Lauding the hard work of Tamil Nadu's fisheries community, he said that over the past five years, Tamil Nadu has received substantial funds under the PM Matsya Sampada Yojana, stressing the government's efforts to provide modern facilities for fishermen, including investments worth hundreds of crores in seaweed parks, fishing harbors, and landing centres. Referring to several projects he said work is progressing rapidly as regards the country's first bullet train, while modern trains like Vande Bharat, Amrit Bharat, and Namo Bharat are making the rail network more advanced.


Against the background of DMK regime crying foul over fund allocation to the state, Modi said over the past decade, the central government has allocated three times more funds for Tamil Nadu's development compared to the period before 2014.


He noted that this increased funding has greatly contributed to Tamil Nadu's economic and industrial growth. The PM, referring to beneficiaries from the state in respect of several initiatives, said that despite the increased allocation to Tamil Nadu, some "cry" over funds.


Beneficiaries include those under the PM Awas Yojana (over 12 lakh pucca houses built in Tamil Nadu), piped water suppy initiative for rural families (includes 1.11 crore families in TN), and over 1 crore treatments in Tamil Nadu under the Ayushman Bharat scheme, saving expenses of Rs 8,000 crore for families in the state.


He also referred to over 1,400 Jan Aushadhi Kendras in the state and noted that under the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, small farmers in TN received nearly Rs 12,000 crore. Also, state farmers benefited from the PM Fasal Bima Yojana, with claims amounting to Rs 14,800 crore.


Tamil Nadu's railway budget has increased more than seven fold. The PM added that before 2014, rail projects in Tamil Nadu received only Rs 900 crore annually, while this year, the railway budget for Tamil Nadu exceeds Rs 6,000 crore.


Since 2014, with the support of the central government, 4,000 kilometers of roads have been constructed in Tamil Nadu, and the project involving an elevated corridor to connect Chennai Port will be another example of remarkable infrastructure. The PM said the new Pamban bridge to Rameswaram symbolizes the union of technology and tradition. He emphasized that a town "thousands of years old" is now connected by a 21st-century engineering marvel.


Modi underlined that this bridge is India's first vertical lift railway sea bridge, allowing big ships to sail underneath while enabling faster train travel.


According to the government, the bridge linking Rameswaram to the mainland, was a remarkable feat of Indian engineering and it was built at a cost of over Rs 700 crore. It is 2.08 km in length, features 99 spans and a 72.5-metre vertical lift span that rises up to a height of 17 metres, facilitating smooth movement of ships while ensuring seamless train operations.


Constructed with stainless steel reinforcement, high-grade protective paint, and fully welded joints, the bridge boasts increased durability and reduced maintenance needs. It is designed for dual rail tracks to accommodate future demands. The over Rs 8,000 crore projects include foundation stone for four-laning of 28 Km long Walajapet, Ranipet section of NH-40 and dedication to the Nation of 4-laned 29 Km long Viluppuram, Puducherry section of NH-332.


These highways will connect many pilgrim centres and tourist places, reduce distance between cities and enable faster access besides empowering local farmers to transport agricultural products to the nearby markets and boost economic activity. Tamil Nadu Governor, R N Ravi, Union Ministers Ashwini Vaishnaw and L Murugan and elected representatives were present.

Comments

bottom of page