Tracing the journey of Indian badminton through 'Net Flicks'

Indian badminton never had it as big as it has over the last 15 years when it brought home all its three Olympic medals and 13 of the 14 World Championship medals.

But a large share of credit for this recent success has to go to those people and stories that laid a strong foundation on which the likes of PV Sindhu, Jwala Gutta, Saina Nehwal, K Srikanth, the Sat-Chi duo, among others could build their careers and shine. 

All that and more is explained in a new book Net Flicks: India’s Smashing Affair with the Shuttle written by senior sports journalist Vijay Lokapally and his son Akshay. The duo bring out interesting stories and discuss the growth of Indian badminton in their book.

The book, published by Bloomsbury, includes the story of the nation’s earliest badminton star Prakash Nath, who has been lost in the pages of history. Much before Prakash Padukone won India’s first All England Open title in 1980, Nath had reached the All England final for British-governed India in 1947, the year that saw partition forcing him to leave his hometown of Lahore forever.

Lokapally, being a pre-internet era journalist, values first-hand research and not surprisingly dived deep into records.

“A cricketer friend of mine, K.B. Bhaskar, called me a year or two ago to tell me that his classmate was the daughter of a badminton player who had reached the All England semi-finals—and even the final. I was intrigued. Who was this Prakash Nath? We contacted his daughter, who lives in Delhi, and through her, we unearthed some fascinating details. Akshay and I then delved deeper, spending time at the Nehru Memorial Library, as well as the archives of The Hindu and Sportstar,” says Lokapally in an interview with The Frontline magazine.

“What we discovered was incredible. Prakash Nath was an exceptional player who never got the recognition he deserved. His name was barely mentioned in modern badminton narratives—almost as if he had been forgotten. His story is one of resilience. When we met his daughter, she shared what she had heard from her father about his journey back from Lahore during Partition. He often spoke about the heartbreak of being “ejected from his homeland”.

“His story is a powerful one. It’s not just about badminton but about overcoming personal and historical upheavals. Researching this chapter—and the entire book—required an immense amount of hard work, but it was well worth it.”

Lokapally senior also brings personal touch to the story of Prakash Padukone, the first international badminton star of India post-independence. He had witnessed many of the former player’s practice sessions in New Delhi during the 1980s when he began his journalism career and brings all his first-hand experience to the fore.

“I was really fascinated by his practice sessions. For us, it was almost like watching a game. There were many times I’d be alone at the Indira Gandhi Stadium, watching him and his sparring partners,” says Lokapally.

Importantly, he makes an effort to bring out stories that haven’t yet been published.

“To gather some lesser-known stories, I spoke to one of his friends.”

The book, a maiden effort by young Akshay who was once a talented and budding cricketer in Delhi, also discusses the tragic demise of Syed Modi who was brutally killed during the peak of his career. Modi, who was the National Badminton Champion from 1980 to 1987, was shot dead in July, 1988 in Lucknow after one of his practice sessions.

Akshay has shown an eye for detail. The chapter on Leroy D'Sa, written by him, stands out for brilliant research. He has also written all the chapters on women, who find plenty of space in the book.  

Other topics like the below-par performance at 2024 Paris Olympics, and the intrusion of social media in players' lives have also been discussed.

Tags : Badminton, Saina Nehwal, PV Sindhu, Padukone, Olympics, All England Open