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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.

Shattered Confidence

Updated: Jan 21, 2025

The awarding of a life-imprisonment term to convict Sanjay Roy in the RG Kar rape hardly brings closure to a tragedy that has deeply scarred public trust in institutions.

West Bengal
West Bengal

The life sentence handed to Sanjay Roy for the rape and murder of a junior doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital is a grim chapter in a tragedy that defies easy resolution. The case, which sparked nationwide outrage, not only exposed grave lapses in institutional security but also raised profound questions about law enforcement and governance in West Bengal. Despite the conviction, many in the medical community, particularly junior doctors, remain dissatisfied, arguing that the investigation has been marred by inconsistencies and the possible involvement of other perpetrators. This case starkly highlights a larger, systemic failure that undermines public trust.


The incident unfolded on August 9, 2023, when the 31-year-old doctor, a trainee at RG Kar, was raped and murdered in a hospital seminar room—an area that should have epitomized security and learning. The shockwaves reverberated across the country, not just because of the violence but because the sanctity of a healthcare setting, traditionally viewed as a place of healing, had been violated. Junior doctors, spurred by their colleague’s tragic death, took to the streets demanding justice and calling for better safety protocols in government hospitals.


In the aftermath, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took over the case, uncovering details of evidence tampering during the initial investigation. Troubling questions continue to persist: How did Roy, a civic volunteer, gain access to a secured hospital area? Why were crucial pieces of evidence allegedly altered or mishandled in the early days of the investigation?


These unanswered questions have fuelled allegations of a wider conspiracy. Union Minister and BJP leader Sukanta Majumdar has accused the Kolkata Police of tampering with evidence to protect influential figures, and both the victim’s family and opposition leaders contend that the conspiracy extends beyond Roy, potentially implicating senior officials and political actors. If proven true, these claims could point to a deliberate attempt to shield those with power and influence, exacerbating the erosion of trust in West Bengal’s governance.


The RG Kar case highlights a failure not just in the management of a hospital but in the very fabric of law and order in the state. If such a heinous crime can occur in a government-run medical institution despite the nominal oversight of state authorities, then the broader system must be called into question. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, already under scrutiny for a series of governance failures, now faces the fallout from a case that has shaken public confidence to its core.


But the implications of this case extend beyond administrative inefficiency. It touches on the pervasive violence against women in India, a crisis that transcends workplace boundaries. While the incident at RG Kar is framed as a workplace safety issue, this framing risks obscuring the broader pattern of violence against women that permeates various sectors. From hospitals to schools, the threat of sexual violence remains ever-present, and perpetrators often exploit their proximity to victims, whether as colleagues, superiors, or trusted employees.


The tragedy at RG Kar forces a painful reckoning with the vulnerability of women, especially in environments that should offer protection. This is not an isolated incident; similar attacks on female healthcare workers in Rohtak, Moradabad and Rishikesh point to a disturbing trend where women in trusted positions are often the target of sexual violence.


Justice for the victim of RG Kar is far from complete as deeper issues remain unresolved. As opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari and others have pointed out, the role of hospital administrators, the Kolkata Police, and any other implicated individuals must be fully investigated. This case is not just about punishing one man but about restoring public faith in a system that failed the victim and the people it is supposed to protect.

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