Lakshya Sen storms into Australian Open final
Sydney (PTI): Star Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen stormed into the men's singles final of the Australian Open Super 500 on Saturday with a gritty three-game win over world number six Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei.
Showing mental toughness, Lakshya recovered from an opening-game setback and saved three match points in the second game to register a 17-21, 24-22, 21-16 win over second seed Taiwanese in an 86-minute semifinal.
The 24-year-old, who reached the Hong Kong Open final earlier this year but is yet to win a title this season, will face Japan's Yushi Tanaka in the summit clash.
Tanaka defeated Chinese Taipei's fifth seed Lin Chun-Yi 21-18 21-15 in the other semifinal.
Lakshya looked patchy early on while Chen was far more precise with his shot selection and execution, which allowed the Taiwanese to dominate the rallies. His steady play earned him a 11-6 lead at mid-game interval.
Chen's aggressive backcourt attack paid off as he raced to 14-7 advantage. Lakshya briefly halted the run with a big smash to the deep corner, but Chen immediately won back the serve with a sharp cross-court winner.
The Indian kept feeding shuttles into Chen’s hitting zone, and the Taiwanese repeatedly unleashed his power smashes.
A net error from Lakshya made it 19-13 before Chen, who had committed a few soft mistakes, steadied himself again. At 19-15, the two played a 44-shot rally that ended with Chen delivering a killing blow to earn five game points.
Lakshya saved two, but then drove one into the net to concede the opener.
After the change of ends, both players took time to adjust, trading errors as the score moved from 2-2 to 4-4. Chen’s pinpoint attacks began clicking again as he pulled ahead 7-4.
But Lakshya fought back superbly, levelling at 9-9 with Chen’s defence beginning to fray. The Taiwanese’s aggression softened and his accuracy dipped as Lakshya applied pressure to take an 11-9 lead with a fine net shot.
Chen clawed back to 12-all after Lakshya pushed a smash wide. At 14-13, Lakshya showcased his defensive grit with a series of exceptional saves before finishing the point with a smash.
Chen won another attacking exchange and moved to 16-17 after Lakshya lost point on net chord. The Taiwanese made it 17-all with a smash around the Indian’s hips and then edged ahead when Lakshya hit the net.
Lakshya sent one ballooning long and followed it with another mis-hit to hand Chen two match points.
But the Indian responded with a deep-corner winner, and Chen then hit the tape to make it 20-20. A tight net duel saw Chen claim his third match point, only to send the next shuttle long as the scores were levelled again.
Lakshya earned a game point with a smash that clipped the line. Chen saved it with a smash of his own, but the Indian grabbed a second opportunity with another brilliant winner and roared back into the match when Chen went long.
The difference in age seemed to come into play as a 24-year-old Lakshya looked more fresher than the 35-year-old Chen, whose movement grew laboured and errors mounted in the decider.
Lakshya raced to a 6-1 lead as Chen struggled for precision. Lakshya's length improved, his net game turned sharper, and he read Chen far better.
Chen's authority, which he had shown in the opening game, dissipated as Lakshya extended his lead to 10-5. He entered the interval 11-6 after Chen went long again.
The Indian extended it to 14-7 ahead. A service error from Chen pushed Lakshya to 17-9, and a crisp cross-court smash earned him eight match points. Chen saved four but eventually netted the shuttle, as Lakshya sealed an impressive comeback victory.
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Jai Bhim: Slogan that energised Dalits was first given at this central Maharashtra village
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (PTI): 'Jai Bhim': These two words have come to symbolise the awakening and empowerment of the Dalit community in independent India, but not many people know how it originated.
The slogan, which also encapsulates the immense reverence in which Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar is held, was first raised at the Makranpur Parishad, a conference organised at Makranpur village in Kannad teshil of today's Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district in Maharashtra.
Ambedkar, the chief architect of India's Constitution, died on December 6, 1956.
Bhausaheb More, the first president of the Scheduled Castes Federation of Marathwada, organised the first Makranpur Parishad on December 30, 1938.
Dr Ambedkar spoke at the conference and asked the people not to support the princely state of Hyderabad under which much of central Maharashtra then fell, said Assistant Commissioner of Police Pravin More, Bhausaheb's son.
"When Bhausaheb stood up to speak, he said every community has its own deity and they greet each other using the name of that deity. Dr Ambedkar showed us the path of progress, and he is like God to us. So henceforth, we should say 'Jai Bhim' while meeting each other. The people responded enthusiastically. A resolution accepting 'Jai Bhim' as the community's slogan was also passed," More told PTI.
"My father came in contact with Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar in his early years. Bhausaheb was aware of the atrocities the Nizam state committed on Dalits. He told Ambedkar about these atrocities, including the pressure to convert. Dr Ambedkar was strongly against these atrocities, and he decided to attend the 1938 conference," he said.
As Ambedkar was against the princely states, he was banned from giving speeches in the Hyderabad state but was allowed to travel through its territories. The Shivna river formed the border between Hyderabad and British India. Makranpur was chosen as the venue for the first conference because it was on the banks of Shivna but lay in the British territory, ACP More said.
The stage made of bricks, from where Dr Ambedkar addressed the conference, still stands. The conference is organised on December 30 every year to carry forward Ambedkar's thought, and the tradition was not discontinued even in 1972 when Maharashtra experienced one of the worst droughts in it history.
"My grandmother pledged her jewellery for the conference expenses. People from Khandesh, Vidarbha and Marathwada attended it. Despite a ban imposed by the Nizam's police, Ambedkar's followers crossed the river to attend the event," said ACP More.
"This is the 87th year of Makranpur Parishad. We have deliberately retained the venue as it helps spread Ambedkar's thought in rural areas," he added.
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