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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.

Police under suspicion over Warna treasure loot

Khaki, Black Money - Part 3

Crores in unaccounted cash being allegedly suppressed during investigation


AI Generated Image
AI Generated Image

 

Kolhapur: In March 2016, a sensational theft rattled Kolhapur district. Over Rs 3 crore was stolen from a room inside the Warna Education Group campus at Warananagar by a habitual offender. Sangli police’s Crime Investigation Department (CID) arrested the thief and initially claimed to have cracked the case. But what followed exposed a far murkier truth – one that continues to simmer in Warananagar even today.

 

After the accused led police to the crime scene during custodial interrogation, successive rounds of searches mysteriously pushed the recovered amount beyond Rs 15 crore. Locals insist the actual figure was far higher. The most serious allegation: police officers who were entrusted with the probe allegedly siphoned off a large part of the cash themselves. In effect, those probing the theft are suspected of having looted the loot.

 

An office-bearer of the institution, alleging glaring loopholes and deliberate suppression of facts, knocked on every administrative door demanding a reinvestigation. However, if the Crime Investigation Branch, acting on orders of the then Chief Minister, simply stamped the petition as “baseless” and consigned it to the dustbin, the decision itself demands a thorough probe. But who will show the courage to order one – that is the real question.

 

Sheer Scale

 

The sheer scale of unaccounted cash uncovered at the Warna Education Group is staggering. Ironically, it was greed that exposed the secret. A driver employed by the institution stumbled upon the cash pile and succumbed to temptation. With the help of a habitual thief from his own village, Mohiuddin Abubakar Mulla, he executed the theft. The burglars had grossly underestimated the volume of cash – the sacks they carried were insufficient. They fled with whatever they could grab.

 

For Mulla, it was money he had never seen in his lifetime. He splurged wildly — buying three brand-new Royal Enfield Bullets, partying in bars, flaunting sudden wealth. His altered lifestyle soon led him back to jail. Sangli CID arrested him and seized Rs 3.08 crore along with other valuables. Following his confession, police returned to the Warna campus, conducted fresh searches and panchnamas, and claimed to have seized even more cash.

 

Seized Money

After Mulla was released on bail, a relative of one of the institution’s trustees staked claim over the seized money. Shockingly, during further investigation, yet another cache was recovered from the same room, while Rs 68 lakh was found at the driver’s residence. Where did such massive cash originate from? The prime accused reportedly told investigators that the actual amount was far higher than what was officially recorded – but there is no such statement on record. Instead, the accused was murdered.

 

The figures on paper simply do not tally with the money seized. The mismatch itself was enough to trigger action. Five police personnel – including an inspector and a sub-inspector – were suspended and booked on charges of misappropriating huge sums. One police officer linked to the case was murdered, while the family of another claims his “accidental” death was, in fact, a planned elimination.

 

Dark Script

The case reads like a dark Bollywood script. Yet the most damning silence comes from the Warna Education Group itself. Despite crores being found inside its premises, the institution has never formally claimed ownership. The relatives of trustees who staked claim have produced no proof that the room was officially allotted to them. There has been no credible verification of how they acquired such vast sums, nor any thorough probe by the Income Tax Department.

 

Instead, whispers in Warana’s sugarcane fields point to an even graver allegation: that a senior official allegedly took a Rs 2-crore “contract” to ensure the money was quietly returned. If true, who is this contract-taking officer? How much money did the police pocket? Why does the institution refuse to assert its claim despite the cash being found on its campus?

 

Only a reinvestigation can answer these questions. It may also finally expose who, within the police force, is donning a khaki uniform to play the role of a dacoit.

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