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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.

“We suspect tinkering of 1-cr votes”

Mumbai: As the Congress Leader of Opposition In Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi embarked on a high-voltage 'Voter Adhikar Yatra', the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) President Harshwardhan Sapkal made a stunning claim that in the 2024 Parliament and Assembly elections, a stupendous ‘one-crore votes’ may have been manipulated to edge out the state Opposition parties. Excerpts from an exclusive chat.

 

The Congress is tomtoming a lot about ‘Vote-Chori.’

It's not a mere slogan. For the last three months, we’ve done our own investigation - collecting inputs, deep diving into the Election Commission of India (ECI)’s data. We believe that nearly 78-lakh votes were manipulated during the November 20–23, 2024 state Assembly polls.

 

Seventy-eight lakh? That’s a massive number.

If you consider the voter additions and deletions or unusual local swells in the 6-month gap between the 2024 Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, we strongly suspect the  figure could touch One Crore votes. We aren’t just crunching numbers. There are other factors, patterns that make this issue extremely serious.

 

What remedial steps have you taken?

Already, 50 writ petitions are before the courts, plus we’ve filed over 100 complaints with election Returning Officers. We’ve kept the State Election Commission fully informed. But this is not stopping here.

 

The civic bodies' elections are due soon, what’s your preparation?

Watch, Scrutiny & Vigil! Our party activists will maintain a 24x7 hawk-eye on the EVM-VVPAT strongrooms from the moment polling ends, until counting day. No more scope for mischief. In the next three months, we shall hold Division level brainstorming sessions to finalise candidates, local alliances, electoral and political strategies.

 

You are regarded as a stickler for accountability. Is that deliberate?

Absolutely. Accountability is non-negotiable. If a person is given a responsibility by the party, then how you spend your day, what activities you’ve taken up and the outcome, must be clear both to top leaders and grassroots workers. This isn’t about PR stunts. Claims can’t remain in the air, they must be backed by solid ground work.

 

Does it percolate within the MPCC?

As directed by the party high command, the work of each PCC Member will be reviewed annually. If they fall short, harsh decisions will be taken. Simply put, ‘everyone is on a one-year probation’, including me! (laughs). I have given my Report Card, others at all levels are expected to follow suit.

 

‘Accountability with Responsibility’

A soft-spoken, no-nonsense person with a dash of humour, MPCC President Harshawardhan Sapkal, 57, is known for his blunt talk, massive public outreach and an aggressive stance against the Mahayuti government on law & order, farmers, social harmony, plus other major issues.

 

The 25th state party head in 65 years (1960 onwards), Sapkal came out with a half-yearly performance card – billed as unprecedented - after he took over in Feb. 2025, listing his activities and achievements, terming it as ‘Accountability’ with major ‘Responsibility’.

 

Though he says all his campaigns were equally significant, the ‘Sadhbhavna Padyatras’ for saving the Constitution, safeguarding Democracy, Communal Harmony, Social Unity and Peace, grabbed huge attention in multiple districts this year, somewhat unnerving the Bharatiya Janata Party-Nationalist Congress Party-Shiv Sena alliance.

 

The Congress took out nearly four dozen ‘Jai Hind Tiranga’ rallies to salute the Armed Forces, candle-light processions focusing on irregularities in the 2024 Assembly polls, attacks on intellectuals and artists, several incidents of rape that raised questions on public safety vis-à-vis law & order, unchecked hate campaigns unleased by ruling party leaders targeting castes and religious communities.

 

Sapkal spearheaded agitations on stalled infrastructure projects, farmers’ distress, skyrocketing inflation, unemployment among youth, opposing the new Maharashtra Special Public Safety Bill, the compulsion of Hindi at the primary school level, attempts to polarize the society and other topics of mass concern.

 

Practically living in a suitcase, Sapkal hit the roads vigorously and toured 22 of the state’s 36 districts, engaging with party leaders-activists plus the common public, invigorating the Congress at the mass-level ahead of the civic polls.

 

“The Sadbhavna Padyatra was a campaign to safeguard Democracy and a historic initiative to curb corruption, communal politics and institutional collapse in Maharashtra. The MPCC will perform as the state’s ‘Watchdog’ to defend the people, from tense districts to urban flashpoints and reassure the masses that we are with them,” a determined Sapkal told ‘The Perfect Voice’.

 

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