Prakash Padukone turns teary after receiving the Lifetime Achievement award

We many not always display our emotions all the time, but definitely one does overflow with tears when recognised for lifetime achievements. Badminton legend, by whom badminton had been the revelation in the country after his All England victory in 1980, Prakash Padukone is conferred with the first ever Lifetime Achievement Award by the Badminton Association of India (BAI).

Former World No.1 Padukone received the prestigious award in the presence of wife Ujjala and daughter Deepika Padukone along with former teammates and friends, which made him overtly display his emotions.

With the choked voice after receiving a citation and a cheque of Rs 10 lakh from the hands of vice-president M Venkaiah Naidu, Padukone said, “I did not play for money, awards, rewards or to please anyone. I played for the love of the game, my own satisfaction and challenging myself.”

“I recollected the time when I started playing badminton without there being any facilities for the sport. The game has grown a lot since, and there were tears of joy,” he said,  “I only wish I could do something for the players of the older generations who came from smaller towns and could not make it big.”

Badminton turning point

During the time when Indians barely know about badminton, his All England triumph was the turning point in the badminton history. It was his dream come true to be No. 1 seed in the badminton ranking from 1980 to 1981. He was first ever and only Indian so far to achieve the top most seed. He felt very confident when he won Denmark Open and Swedish Open within two weeks in 1980. He won World Cup held at Kuala Lumpur in 1981, Bronze Medalist at World Championships held at Copenhagen in 1983, Dutch Open and Hong Kong Open in 1982. He was ranked in the top 5 in the world for over 5 years.

“Not just badminton, all sports have become a lot more physical in nature. There may not be so much stress on deception and touch play, but to get something, one has to forego something. One needs a combination of various qualities to be a successful shuttler,” said the 62-year-old, “Now you also need a lot of support around you in the form of coaches, physiotherapists and nutritionists. You require a good team besides a technical coach.”

Indian powerhouse

From his days to till date, Indian badminton has come a long way; from being the only Indian on the International platform to standing of five Indians in top 15 world rankings. Today India stands beside the talent from China, Denmark, Korea, and Japan. “Sky's the limit. There is no dearth of talent in India. We just need to tap it. BAI and the state associations need to take up a proactive role in this regard. It is a matter of administration, funding and planning,” he said.

“A starting point could be to have an academy in each zone, before we have one in each state, fully funded by the government or BAI. But it is also vital to have the right people running those academies, so that players get opportunities on merit. It is also important to recognise coaches who provide results.

“With a good structure and coaching, we can be a badminton powerhouse,” he added.

“The game is much more competitive these days and even at the Olympics, badminton is one of the most-watched sports. There are a lot of fine players I enjoy watching,” he said.