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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.

Revisiting the Indus Waters Treaty: Water Diplomacy Amidst Growing Tensions

Updated: Oct 21, 2024

September 19 marked the 64th anniversary of the Indus Waters Treaty, a testament to the fragile peace between India and Pakistan in a landscape marred by conflict. Signed in 1960, this landmark agreement governs the six rivers of the Indus basin, allocating 80% of the waters to Pakistan and leaving India with the remainder. Despite being hailed as a durable resolution to water disputes, the treaty faces challenges that threaten its sustainability.

As India’s population swells and its economy expands, so too does the demand for water, intensifying calls for a renegotiation of existing agreements, especially in the wake of the 2019 Pulwama attack. Yet, decades of mutual distrust continue to obstruct cooperation between the two nations. Before diverting water from the western rivers, India must prioritize addressing its infrastructure deficits to mitigate flooding risks in Jammu and Kashmir. In 2019, Nitin Gadkari issued a stark warning to Pakistan: cease its support for terrorism or face the consequences of diminished access to Indian waters. Concurrently, plans are in motion to redirect surplus water to Punjab and Haryana for agricultural use, alongside the construction of the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway, which promises to reduce travel time by four hours.

 Pakistan’s mismanagement of water resources, particularly in Gilgit-Baltistan - a mineral-rich region, including gold - has relegated it to one of South Asia’s poorest areas. China’s encroaching influence, exemplified by the ambitious Diamer-Bhasha Dam, heightens India’s concerns. With an estimated cost of ₹442 billion, the dam has ignited protests in Gilgit, prompted by fears of submerged villages and demographic shifts. China’s hegemony over water resources complicates any potential renegotiation of the treaty. To maintain regional stability and protect its interests, India must also settle water disputes with neighbouring countries like Bangladesh and Nepal, thereby avoiding accusations of ‘water imperialism.’

 Gilgit-Baltistan, a sparsely populated mountainous area over six times larger than Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), has been under Pakistan’s illegal control. The Indus River, which flows from Ladakh through PoJK, has been effectively commandeered. This resource-rich territory, abundant in minerals and precious metals, remains one of the poorest regions in South Asia. Notably, it is home to significant gold reserves, with mines scattered near Bashah, Braldo, Parkuta, Saltoro, and along the banks of the Indus and Shyok rivers.

 The agriculturally fertile Shyok and Indus valleys produce a variety of crops, including rabi staples such as wheat, gram, peas, and rapeseed, alongside kharif crops like millets and buckwheat. Despite its agricultural potential, chronic mismanagement continues to stifle development in the region. Although it is legally part of India, Gilgit-Baltistan remains a hotspot for protests by marginalized communities, occasionally escalating into violence.

Divided into seven districts, this region is cradled by the Karakoram, Himalaya, and Hindukush ranges, bordering China’s Xinjiang, Afghanistan’s Wakhan Corridor, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It encompasses eight of the world’s highest peaks and over fifty summits exceeding 7,000 meters. With elevations ranging from 300 to 28,250 feet, it is characterized by snow-clad peaks, vast glaciers, and lush valleys. Many of Pakistan’s freshwater resources originate in or traverse this area.  The geopolitical importance of Gilgit-Baltistan has surged with the completion of the Karakoram Highway, which not only enhances trade with China but also solidifies the alliance between the two countries. This highway is vital for Pakistan’s freshwater supplies, which, under international law, legally belong to India. Despite this, successive Indian governments have maintained a conspicuous silence regarding developments in this strategically crucial region.

The looming threat of Chinese retaliation adds complexity to the renegotiation of the treaty. In the absence of water-sharing agreements, India and China are increasingly reliant on cross-border rivers like the Brahmaputra and Indus, both originating from Mount Kailash.

Since 1962, China has pursued control over key water bodies near Ladakh, including attempts to seize Pangong Lake and allegations of diverting the Galwan River, a tributary of the Indus. The Galwan flows from Samzungling in Aksai Chin, merging with the Shyok River near Leh. The Line of Actual Control (LAC) runs through this region, with disputes over its exact location, particularly around Pangong Lake, where India controls only 45 of its 135 kilometers. China’s construction of a road along the lake opposes India’s infrastructure developments. Tensions peaked on June 15, 2020, with a violent clash near Patrol Point 14 in the Galwan Valley, underscoring the need for India to resolve this issue to protect its natural resources.

China’s control over critical resources amid rising water scarcity poses a major challenge for India. The strategically important Kailash Range in Tibet was effectively closed off to India by China’s Assertion Line established on October 27, 1959, which diverges from the 1959 Claim Line near Black Top. Since 1962, the region has seen intense disputes. The 2017 Dawn leaks revealed China’s ambitions in Pakistan via the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to dominate Indus basin agricultural resources, raising concerns that China may also try to control Tso Moriri, a glacial lake near Leh.

Population growth, climate change, and ineffective water management necessitate a shift towards improved technologies, crop diversification, and significant infrastructure investments. While India faces water-related accusations from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal, it retains its rightful claim to the waters of the Indus basin. India has fostered cooperative ties with Bhutan, as evidenced by successful hydropower initiatives. To ease regional tensions, India must navigate the delicate balance of avoiding ‘water imperialism’ while respecting the rights of its neighbours, necessitating diplomatic finesse and a commitment to water as a fundamental human right.

(The writer is an educationalist. Views personal.)

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