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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.

Women Safety on Cards

Updated: Nov 18, 2024

vWomen Safety

For the speedy disposal of cases of crimes against women, the state government took the decision to set up Special Courts. 25 Fast Track Courts are being proposed for disposal of criminal cases relating to the atrocities on women and mentally handicapped girls. The Maharashtra Assembly unanimously passed a bill that aims to establish special courts to ensure speedy trial of offences against women and children under the Shakti Act. The much needed proposal got the nod of the legislature however, it gathered a lot of dust in the Law and Judiciary department in Mantralaya before it could take off.


The government took this decision with an aim to conduct trials without delay in cases of certain offences against women and children. As per the decision, exclusive special courts were to be set up. Provisions for appointing a special public prosecutor for conducting trials and forming special police teams to probe the offences were also made. Presently, courts at Ahmednagar, Akola, Amaravati, Aurangabad, Buldhana, Beed, Jalgaon, Nagpur, Yawatmal, Thane, Pune & Kolhapur are in operation along with special court for Cases of Immoral trafficking at Mumbai. Prior to this the Shakti Criminal Laws (Maharashtra Amendment) Bill, which provides for stricter punishment, including death penalty, for crimes against women, was passed unanimously by both the Houses of the legislature.


Everything went well at the initial state. The government announced that it will provide all required assistance for the speedy trial of cases of crime against women and children under the Shakti Act.


The government had also announced that as per the bill, exclusive special courts can be set up for hearing the cases or existing courts can be given that rank depending upon the situation. The government made all the arrangements to make provisions and infrastructure available. At the beginning 25 Fast Track Courts were being proposed for disposal of criminal cases relating to the atrocities on women and mentally handicapped girls. The proposal went through various administrative hurdles and after this the journey started but very slow.


Interestingly, with the formation of these new exclusive special courts, the speed of the trial remained the same. As per the survey, fast-track courts in Delhi dispose of a case in 122 days on an average, while a regular court takes 133 days. No different story in Mumbai.


So the question remains that why are fast-track courts failing to fulfil their purpose? Experts say fast-track courts operate no differently than regular courts. For one, they have similarly heavy caseloads.


A fast track court is set up for a category of disputes. These categories themselves have a large chunk of cases. So it is just like any other court hall in the district judiciary -- you have the court hall under individual judges who have anywhere between 50 to 100 cases listed per day.

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