India’s Lakshya Sen during his men’s singles bronze medal badminton match against Malaysia’s Lee Zii Jia at the 2024 Summer Olympics, in Paris, France, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024. Sen lost the match. (PTI Photo/File)
Lakshya Sen, I’m beaming with pride and sending you a big hug. I was thrilled to watch your first match against the Guatemalan opponent from the stadium, cheering you on with uncharacteristic enthusiasm. The first game showcased your mastery, but the second filled me with an unfamiliar sense of maternal anxiety. I found myself shouting, “Steady, Lakshya!” as you were struggling for a while. Your victory brought me immense relief, and I celebrated with my family like a child.
I must confess, I am a huge fan of your lightning-quick agility and unwavering perseverance on the court. Your dedication is inspiring. I have watched all your past matches, and on July 27, I realised, in hindsight, I was invested in those with a mother’s fervour. That’s why your last two matches in Paris left me heartbroken. When you won the quarter-finals and still didn’t rejoice in front of your opponent, Chou Tien-chen, who is fighting colorectal cancer, it was truly commendable. You are the first Indian male shuttler to enter the semifinals in the men’s singles category. You had a seven-point lead in the second game against Viktor Axelsen. I wept as you fought to recover, throwing yourself into each point with your signature energy, but something was amiss. When you injured your hand again, I wanted to rush to your side and say, “Enough, beta! You’re just 22, with your golden years ahead.” But you fought like a warrior.
It’s not about getting knocked down; it’s about getting back up.
To me, you were the winner.
My daughter Samiha, a former football player, has sports woven into her being. I used to dismiss her tears after India’s defeats, saying, “It’s just a game”. But now I see that her sorrow wasn’t just about winning or losing — it was about the love she poured into the game. Today, I would have cried alongside you, holding you tight in a warm embrace.
I am still processing the depth of my sorrow when I heard my hero Prakash Padukone say what he said. I whispered tears in his ears, “…this is not the time for these words.” Losing the heartstopping hockey match against Germany was just as painful as losing a gold medal by 5mm or eligibility by 100gm. How do we explain the shocking elimination of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty from the quarter finals? Is it fair to assess their worth from these defeats? And despite Vinesh Phogat’s victorious entry into finals, how do we, as a nation and a system, come to terms with our collective failure in supporting her while she was trying to right a wrong? Today, the resilient fighter is disqualified and we are all devastated. In the face of this adversity, camaraderie shown by our star from Hyderabad shines like a ray of light. “Knowing you and your willpower, it’s only a matter of time, buddy! Just know I will always be your biggest supporter.” Just read these last lines of message by P V Sindhu in support of her biggest on-court rival, Carolina Marin, who landed awkwardly on her surgically repaired knee during the women’s singles semi-finals. I’m proud of you too, Sindhu, for your unshakable determination. It was not easy to deal with your exit in 56 minutes in the pre-quarter final match. Together, all of you personify the collective grief of those who suffered losses and those who mourned your defeat, yet remained unbroken in spirit.
Lakshya, I’ll be in the stadium four years from now, rejoicing when you receive your gold medal, as Axelsen hinted in his speech.
In the meanwhile, each night, I will tell you a bedtime story. The first one is a tale of a Zen master whose martial arts student approached him and said, “Master, I’ve lost again in the tournament. I’m so disappointed.”
The master replied, “Did you win or lose?”
The student said, “I lost.”
The master asked, “Did you win or lose when you began training?”
The student thought and said, “I didn’t win or lose, I just started.”
The master smiled and said, “Exactly. You started. And now, you continue. Winning and losing are just illusions.
The true victory is in the journey, not the destination.”
Lakshya, Sindhu, Vinesh… keep going, we will follow you wherever you take us.
Gokhale is a lawyer, writer and director
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
First uploaded on: 09-08-2024 at 08:00 IST
