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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.

Power Cuts Shortens Power

Updated: Nov 7, 2024

Power Cuts Shortens Power

Few areas of Maharashtra are regularly facing power cuts as the demand has exceeded the supply. Rural Nashik, Ahmednagar, Aurangabad, and other parts of Marathwada are the areas facing power cuts of up to eight hours, sometimes even more. What has added to the woes of power-deficit in the state, a shortfall in supply by private power producers has led to the state electricity distribution utility restarting load-shedding to overcome the gap between demand and supply. The government has left with no option but to accept the grim situation. But at the same time one more factor which is responsible for the power cuts is the union government. Disruptions in the supply of coal which is seen as one of the reasons for the significant demand-supply gap in electricity.


The growth in electricity demand due to the soaring heat, rise in consumption by industrial and agricultural consumers and the nationwide coal crisis has affected coal inventories at state-owned Maharashtra State Power Generation Company Limited’s (MahaGenco) thermal power stations. The surge in demand for electricity has led to a deficit of around 2,500 to 3,000 megawatts (MW) in power. The state needs 25,000 MW of electricity. However, only 21,000 to 22,000 MW of electricity is being supplied. Maharashtra faces fear of power outage.


Significantly, the budget presented by the Mahayuti government gave some sigh of relief to the agrarian community with the announcements of various schemes. The Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar presented the state budget with the theme “Self-reliant Farmers, Prosperous Farmers”. Budget included schemes for direct seed subsidies, irrigation facilities, modern tech, ancillary industries, value addition to produce, and improved storage and market availability. The provision for free electricity for farmers, milk subsidy and solar power project for uninterrupted daytime electricity was highlighted in the budget.


Ajit Pawar announced a significant relief measure for the state’s farmers. Under the Mukhya Mantri Baliraja Vij Savlat Yojana, the government has made the provision to waive off electricity bill dues for a total of 44.06 lakh farmers. Additionally, the government also declared to bear the cost of agriculture pumps up to 7.5 horsepower capacity, providing a massive subsidy of Rs. 14,761 crore. This decision was taken in response to the recent drastic changes in seasonal weather patterns and global climate change, which have had a significant impact on the state’s agricultural sector. A Rs. 15,000 crore project has been undertaken to separate and solarize agricultural electricity grids, aiming to provide uninterrupted daytime electricity to farmers. The “Magel Tyala Solar Power Pump” scheme will provide solar power pumps to 8.50 lakh farmers, offering free electricity.


The power cut has directly affected the farmers and workers and labourers working in small industrial units. Due to power cut some of the industrial units pulled down the shutter as a result many casual workers rendered jobless.

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