Winners of the 67th Senior National Badminton championship: (From left) Abhinn Shyam Gupta, Marcose Bristow, Jaseel P. Ismail, Shruti Kurien, Jwala Gutta, Aparna Popat and Manjusha Kanwar pose with the trophies for a photo session after the prize distribution ceremony on Tuesday. Picture by S.H. Patgiri

national badminton

The senior nationals are over. Consciously or unconsciously, I am experiencing a gloomy feeling, like I earlier used to dowhen any major event ended.

All the more because my friends, whom I got to meet right here in Guwahati after nearly five years, are finally leaving the city one by one. Also, having been actively associated with the event in general and the home team in particular, one tends to develop a kind of attachment which is difficult to accept when it all ends.

However, I congratulate the Assam Badminton Association for having organised the event successfully. Most of my friends from outside, whom I spoke to, have expressed satisfaction with the hospitality extended towards them. Though there are areas where we experienced some shortcomings, like holding the event at two different venues, problems over shuttlecocks and so on, the event generated great interest among the sport-loving people of Assam, going by the packed galleries we’ve seen right from the initial stages of the tournament.

The chief minister’s visit on the final day, along with a host of other dignitaries, added glamour to the event. The matches were telecast live on TV and extensively covered in the print media. To top it all, the matches on the final day were mostly close encounters, which kept the spectators deeply absorbed. It will be quite a while before Assam will be able to experience such a conglomeration of some of the biggest names in Indian badminton.

Talking about the finals, the women’s and the men’s singles were very well contested. The kind of grit and determination exhibited by B.R. Meenakshi and the calm composure of Aparna Popat in the crucial stages of the women’s singles were something from which we can all take lessons. It is only deep-rooted confidence and a belief in oneself which can bring out such a composure during a crisis against an aggressive opponent like Meenakshi, who almost wrapped up the match, but for a very close line decision in the final stages.

But it was a very well-deserved victory for Aparna and for all the commitment and hard work she puts in the game. She’s just two victories away to equal the great Madhumita Bisht’s record of eight national titles.

The men’s singles title, again, was a display of tremendous patience, fitness and stamina against brilliant court craft, skill and intelligence.

Abhin Shyam Gupta, the reigning national champion, has earned the titles of “Engine” and “Machine” from his fans for his retrieving skills. Chetan Anand tried to make him run to all the corners of the court with wristy strokes and deceptions. But Gupta managed to put everything back on the other side, which resulted in long rallies. With his ability to retrieve from difficult and dead positions and his staying power, Gupta has generated awe among his fellow players and one could see many of his competitors recording his game on video for future study.

Chetan Anand, on the other hand, has earned appreciation of all for the ease and effortlessness with which he traversed the court. He was calm and confident and his intelligent strokeplay earned him the number one ranking in the country, though he could not manage a maiden national title, which finally went to the better player of the day.

Badminton, a very demanding game, has not yet earned the popularity it deserves. This is mainly due to the fact that the game is not properly “sold” to the public. The packed turnout in the final proves the game is attractive. A better co-ordination between sponsors, the media and the players, coupled with minor alterations in the formats of matches in order to make them more appealing to the spectators is necessary for popularising it. Also, taking big events like the nationals to all corners of the country is a positive step.

I am sure these nationals will go a long way in popularising this beautiful game in the entire Northeast.