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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.

Raj to join Uddhav for victory march

Mumbai: A day after the Maharashtra government yanked off the GRs mandating Hindi teaching in state-run primary schools, the Shiv Sena (UBT), Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and other parties-organisations are planning a massive victory rally on July 5.

 

Lauding the Marathi people of the state for their support on the issue, MNS President Raj Thackeray remarked that the government was left with “no option” but to withdraw the two contentious GRs on Sunday.

 

“It was argued that many north Indians come here for employment. If that is so then why not teach Marathi in their states instead of imposing Hindi in Maharashtra? This bid to impose a 150-200 year-old regional language (Hindi) over a 3,000-year classical language like Marathi is not at all acceptable to us,” declared Raj.

 

Flaying the government’s stance on compulsory Hindi from Class I -IV, the MNS chief said that earlier Hindi, Sanskrit other other such languages were taught after Class V or VI which was good.

 

“Why push it now from Class I? Hindi is not a national language… It can’t be imposed on other states,” Raj pointed out.

 

He said that after the government withdrew the GRs, SS (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut called up to mark the development with a victory rally, and now both parties are planning the venue, timings, etc, for July 5.

 

Raj said while it was not a matter of claiming credit, the MNS was the first to oppose the 3-language policy and as the tempers heightened other parties like SS (UBT), Congress, Nationalist Congress Party (SP) and several organisations, actors artists, civil society members and more joined in.

 

“The protest (of July 5) would have been unprecedented and reminded the people of the Samyukta Maharashtra Movement almost seven decades ago. A united voice of the Marathis makes an impact and we hope the state government has realized it,” said Raj in a swipe at the ruling MahaYuti of Bharatiya Janata Party-Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party.

 

Despite being gung-ho over the latest political triumph, SS (UBT) leaders made it clear and the present camaraderie was confined to the anti-Hindi imposition plans, “but, the issue of the two parties reaching a political understanding is still far away”.

 

“We have smashed the heads of Marathi haters. Before they raise their heads again and the next crisis hits us, we should maintain this unity. We are talking to everyone. We need to show the same unity in the victory celebration."

Uddhav Thackeray, President, Shiv Sena (UBT)

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