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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.

Textile Loses Sheen

Updated: Nov 15, 2024

Textile Loses Sheen

The strike led by Dr. Datta Samant involved 2,47,189 Mumbai mill workers and brought the city to a standstill. The 1982-83 strike was the last industrial action by the Mumbai mill workers when the city witnessed an industry-wide strike bringing the workforce to the centre of politics. The Textile Strike of 1982 is a watershed moment in India’s labour history. It was one of India’s longest strikes involving more than 200,000 workers who collectively stopped work for more than eighteen months. Regarded as one of the longest industrial strikes in history – it lasted over a year and was, technically, never withdrawn – rendered thousands of workers jobless, thanks to an adamant stand taken by their union led by a doctor-turned-trade-union-leader named Datta Samant as well as mill owners, and the Central and state governments.


In the later part of the 19th century, Mumbai textile industry grew significantly contributing to Maharashtra’s prosperity. There were about 130 textile mills which contributed to the growth of the textile and cotton industry. It covered an area of almost 600 acres of Mumbai island. In 1982, due to a major strike of 18 months, the mills were permanently closed and brought down the closure of the struggling industry. In this backdrop the Maharashtra government came out with a new policy on textile units. The Department of Textile of the state government comes under the aegis of Cooperation, Marketing, and Textile Department and is responsible for the development and promotion of the textile industry in the State. The Department plays a significant role in implementing schemes and programs that have helped improve the quality of textile products in Maharashtra and create employment opportunities in the industry. As per the decision, the Department is committed to further developing the textile industry in Maharashtra with a strong presence of both traditional and modern textile sub-sectors and aims to make the state a global hub for textiles.


The aim of the policy was to attract entrepreneurs in the entire value chain, besides seeing that existing units do not migrate to other major cotton-growing states. Over and above the Centre’s textile package, the technology upgradation fund scheme and other incentives, all major growing states have introduced their own textile policies to attract investment.


The governments of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have announced a number of incentives for textile units. Maharashtra saw the migration of all types of business units in the sector. Considering this reality the government introduced this policy.


In the last 15 years some units started operating in different parts of the state. Unfortunately, many units had closed down before this policy which ran from 2018-2023, hardly any expansions in the state were going to other states, all the cotton produced in the state was going outside.

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