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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.

Small Steps to Saving the Olive Ridley

During a late evening walk in December, as the sun set into the sea and the sky turned an orange-pink hue, Suhas Toraskar, spotted a trail in the sand that he is all too familiar with—the Olive Ridley Turtles had arrived. A veteran in the conservation of the Olive Ridley turtles, the 58- year-old fisherman followed the trail and with a stick moved the sands to unearth the turtle’s eggs. He made a protective boundary around the pit to protect the eggs from predators. Two months later, he would set free the baby turtles into the water and watch them swim away to their new life. This has been a routine for Toraskar since 1993.

 

Hailed as a ‘biodiversity champion’ by the United Nations Development Programme India, Toraskar has been the guardian angel of the breeding and nesting grounds of the olive ridley turtle which is an endangered species. Called a 'Kasav Mitra', Toraskar speaks to The Perfect Voice about how he pioneered a movement to save the olive ridley turtles in Sindhudurg.

 

How did you become a kasav mitra?

I have been doing this for 32 years now. Back then, eating turtle meat and eggs was considered a delicacy. Dogs, wolves and birds would also prey on these eggs apart from people. When I returned to my village Wayangani from Mumbai in 1993, I was dismayed by what I saw and I decided to start protecting these eggs so that this species, which was fast disappearing, could be saved. After scanning the beach for several days, we would find one small nest. My family and I would probably find one nest in a year, keep it safe from humans and animals and then leave the babies into the sea. Ten years later, the forest department got involved and roped in locals by offering compensation for those who would find these nests and protect them.

 

How many turtle hatchlings do you get every year on an average?

The numbers are going down because of activity increasing on the beaches. Last year, we got around 250 nests but this year, they are down to 190. Until now, we have released 8000 turtle hatchlings into the sea. The olive ridley turtle lays eggs thrice a year in decreasing numbers. In the first round, they lay around 120 eggs of which around 70 eggs hatch, eventually. Turtles are shy and avoid human contact. Nowadays with activity on the coastline increasing, they are moving away from our beach and looking for other quieter spots. Since I began, we must have released almost one lakh hatchlings into the sea.

 

Is it true that turtles always come back to the same place to lay eggs?

It is partly true but if the same place has become busy or there are too many people or bright lights, they will move to a secluded place close to that. It’s their natural instinct to avoid humans and animals. Research says that no matter where they are, olive ridley turtles can swim thousands of kilometers between their feeding and breeding grounds and return to the same area to lay their eggs.

 

Turtle conservation has turned into a tourist activity now. Is this awareness beneficial?

Yes and no. More and more people are sensitised to the importance of conserving and saving these turtles but earlier, it was our fisherfolk who did it. Now, with the government offering a prize or compensation amount to anyone who finds and protects these nests, a lot of other people have got involved; even those who have no interest in conservation. They save a nest, earn money and then use it to drink alcohol. For easy money, these people patrol the beaches with bright torches every night. These lights disturb the natural nesting areas of the turtles who are therefore moving away from Wayangani.

 

How important is the olive ridley turtle to the environment?

Every creature has a role to play in the environment. Turtles are especially crucial to maintain the marine ecological balance. They feed on invertebrates, dead fish and small corals which helps release the oxygen that’s locked up there. This is how the turtles, which are listed as an endangered species, play a key role in the marine ecosystem. We fisherfolk understand the importance of the seas and the marine ecology and we know how essential the turtle is.

 

What steps can be taken to protect their breeding and nesting havens?

Instead of offering remuneration to anyone who finds a nest, the forest department must nominate people who are entrusted with finding and protecting these nests. That way, anti-social people will stop roaming the beaches with torches. We need a systematic approach to conservation.

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