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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.

Sarnaik heckled; driven out

Thane: Hundreds of people joined a morcha organised by the MNS and some social groups on Tuesday to defend the Marathi 'asmita' (pride) in Mira Bhayandar area of Thane district amid rising political heat following the attack on a shopkeeper for not speaking Marathi.


Leaders and workers of Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP) also joined the protest amid high drama on the streets and detention of several activists by police.


Shiv Sena minister Pratap Sarnaik who visited the protest site in the afternoon was heckled and driven away by angry demonstrators.


Police had denied permission for the protest march citing the potential threat to law and order. However, after high drama on the streets and apparent political intervention, the morcha passed through the original route proposed by the organisers.


The rally was organised by MNS and other pro-Marathi groups the aegis of Marathi Ekikaran Samiti to counter a protest staged by traders recently against the slapping of a food stall owner by MNS activists for not speaking Marathi, officials said.


The situation became tense when police started detaining protesters raising slogans for protecting the 'Marathi asmita' (pride). Some of them were picked up by the police while they were addressing the media.


Several functionaries of MNS were detained from midnight.


Television channels flashed images of women being bundled into police vans while they were shouting slogans against the "high-handedness" of the police. Several activists were detained inside a banquet hall to prevent them from reaching the protest venue.


CM’s damage control

As high drama unfolded on the streets, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis moved in to contain the potential political damage.


He said permission had been granted for the rally but the MNS insisted on a specific route which posed law and order challenges.


"If they ask for permission for a proper route, we will give permission today and even tomorrow. Another organisation held a rally on the route approved by the police, but these people remained adamant on a particular route," he told reporters in Mumbai.


The groundswell of support for the Marathi cause prompted Shiv Sena minister Pratap Sarnaik to criticise the police for "uncalled action" which is not in line with any government directive.


"The police's action was completely wrong. The government has not issued any such instructions to suppress a peaceful morcha in support of Marathi interests," Sarnaik told reporters and asserted that he would discuss the matter with the chief minister.


"This kind of attitude by the police is unwarranted, and if the Marathi-speaking people had sought permission for a peaceful morcha, the police should have permitted them," he said.


Sarnaik joined the protest march in the afternoon.


Enthusiastic march

Thousands of people holding placards, flags and wearing white caps emblazoned with "Me Marathi" slogans, walked enthusiastically on the streets in Mira Road and adjoining Bhayandar.


Several women, workers of the MNS and Shiv Sena (UBT) walked together, united by the Marathi cause.


Many people at the spot directed their ire towards the BJP-led government, accusing it of allowing traders to take out a rally a few days back in the same area while denying permission to Marathi people.


"Common people will teach a lesson to them (BJP-led government) in the coming days for their hatred towards Marathi people", a protester said.


Sana Deshmukh, wearing a hijab, said the Marathi people won't let the government suppress their voice.


People marched peacefully through the main streets from Balaji Square to the Major Kaustubh Rane memorial in front of the Mira Road railway station.


The row over the "imposition" of language in primary schools of Maharashtra has snowballed into a major political flash point ahead of civic polls after MNS activists slapped a food stall owner in the Bhayander area for not speaking Marathi.


Meanwhile, the Mira Bhayandar Vasai Virar Police has released MNS leader Avinash Jadhav and hundreds of activists detained earlier, DCP (Zone I) Prakash Gaikwad said.


"We had not permitted the morcha earlier and not even now," he told reporters.


“If you listen to the complete statement of Nishikant Dubey, he particularly spoke about an organisation and not against Marathi people in general. However, in my opinion, it is inappropriate to make such comments. Its interpretation causes confusion among the minds of people. I feel no one can reject the contribution of Maharashtra and Marathi people in the history and present of the country. If someone is rejecting it, then I feel it is wrong.”

Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Minister

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