Badminton Tournament: A Chronicle of Defeat and Justification

Badminton Tournament. As always, it was full of Drama (opposing views/bickering). Defeat, humiliation, and then the inevitable phase: justification.

Because it happens only once a year, everyone was in a festive mood, just like me. A bunch of "young Turks" who considered themselves champions-in-the-making thought they could easily grab the trophy by teaming up, analyzing everyone else’s strengths and weaknesses, and masterminding a quick win.

A bit of buildup...

Thinking "let’s show them," I even wore a sleeveless jersey. I hoped the non-existent muscles would at least intimidate the opponents—but nothing happened. We were crushed from all eight sides. In the blink of an eye, it was game over. Then came the post-mortem analysis. We were at 19-19—how did we lose? Was it the pressure? Or was it just our own poor play? Well, you reap what you sow.

Across the net, the "great warriors" were leaping and smashing away. To add to the flair, the Morning Group showed up in matching orange T-shirts. Perhaps it was the color, but everyone wearing it lost quite gracefully. By nightfall, the bright orange had turned a very dark shade indeed.

Slowly, those orange colors faded away.

The next day, the sun didn't even bother to rise—or perhaps we were just too ashamed to face it. Is there no limit to humiliation?

Many had spent good money on professional training. All they got in return was an earful from the coach, with no real improvement in their game. I didn't lose that 2,500 rupees; I sensed this disaster coming from a mile away and saved my money.

We had to find someone to blame, didn't we? There were a lot of newcomers in the mix. We conveniently pinned our defeat on them.

Now, the only refuge left is the regular Morning Group. The goal is to defeat those five people there and claim some pride—what else is there to do?

There were many "offers" and promises of glory if we reached the semifinals. As expected, no one from our group even made it past the quarterfinals. Then, we spent the rest of the time criticizing those who played, trying to soothe our aching hearts. Inside, we were crying, but we still posed for the reels. May God forgive those involved.

At least the delicious Kerala food helped ease the pain. Even if the heart wasn't satisfied, the stomach was full.

Many have vowed to capture the court by finding new partners for the next one. We shall see.

Now, there is the "Triples" team game coming up. I wonder, for heaven's sake, if we will have any luck there.

Have a great day. I dedicate this blog to all the  loosers.