No one has ever heard of or seen this breed or species of lion, neither in any zoo nor in any tiger reserve! Yet, he was given that title. Prakash, standing six feet one inch tall, was called the "Gentle Tiger" on the badminton court. A lion, who was a king but not ferocious, serious, simple, and humble.
By the end of the 1970s, Prakash got the opportunity to play with his favorite but very aggressive Indonesian player, Rudy Hartono, in Jabalpur. It was here that Prakash realized he played quite defensively. Rudy’s aggression inspired him to make some changes to his style of play. He realized that the respect he had shown when playing against older opponents under his father's guidance needed to be set aside.
From here on, spectators saw a new Prakash—agile and as quick as lightning. He became aggressive towards his opponents! This turned out to be a significant turning point in his game. After that, he never looked back.
When a vessel is completely filled with water, it begins to overflow, and the flowing stream takes the water beyond the container. This was the state of Prakash’s fame and success across India. Year after year, Prakash won the national championship, and in 1974, he raised India’s flag internationally as well. This 19-year-old, fair, handsome young man won a bronze medal in the team event at the Asian Games in Tehran. That same year, he was included in India’s international badminton squad. The squad also secured third place in South Korea’s Seoul games, though Prakash was defeated in the quarterfinals.
Prakash made an immense contribution to making badminton a popular sport in India. While the new generation was becoming disinterested in Indian hockey and was now focused solely on cricket, the demands of large teams in hockey and cricket led children to turn their attention to badminton, which could be easily played with a small team, both indoors and outdoors.
Interestingly, any new trend in society is first picked up by our Hindi films. After a few badminton scenes were shot with popular actresses Sadhana and Sharmila Tagore in the blockbuster multi-starrer film Waqt, a whole song was picturized on actor Jeetendra and actress Leena Chandavarkar playing badminton, which became quite popular. Dressed in pristine white outfits, couples holding rackets could be seen playing in cities across the country. The small, egg-shaped balls of golf, billiards, and tennis had now turned into the fluttering shuttlecock, like a flying bird.
At the age of 21, Prakash got a chance to play in the Asian Championship held in Hyderabad, where he once again won a bronze medal. His path was blocked by a skilled player named Liem Swie King, who was at the peak of his popularity in the badminton world at that time. Playing in Hyderabad was routine for Prakash, born on June 10, 1955, in Bangalore, Karnataka, as he was the state champion, but the competition was not easy as it was an international one. Prakash didn’t forget that King had defeated him in his own country.
By 1978, Prakash’s magic had taken the world by storm when he won the gold medal in the men’s singles at the prestigious Commonwealth Games in Edmonton, Canada. This success caused a sensation, and Prakash Padukone seemed to have written his name in golden letters on the sky of world badminton. His victories kept pouring in, and his fame surged on the global badminton courts like a roaring sea.
He achieved what no one in India had ever done before. In 1979, he won the gold medal in the men’s singles at the World Grand Prix. His name echoed worldwide when he claimed the Danish Open title in Copenhagen, Denmark. That same year, he won the Evening of Champions title at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Prakash also triumphed in the Swedish Open, adding another feather to his cap. Along with winning the Commonwealth Games gold, he was the runner-up at the India Open.
Indian sports audiences were not accustomed to witnessing such massive achievements from their sports heroes on international platforms like Prakash delivered for the first time. By the end of the decade, he became the first and only Indian player to win the men’s singles title at the prestigious All England Open by defeating his Indonesian rival, Liem Swie King, creating a sensation.
By the time he won the men’s singles title at the World Cup in 1981, he had become the world’s number-one ranked player. His world ranking had reached the pinnacle. This was a dream for India, one that no one had achieved before and no one has matched since. India's badminton prodigy seemed to be performing an Ashwamedha Yagna in the skies of badminton.
This extraordinary feat was immortalized in India’s sports history, and to celebrate this remarkable player, the Indian government honored him with the Padma Shri award the following year. This shy young man, whose mother tongue was Konkani, had friends, well-wishers, and competitors not only in India but all around the world. Prakash demonstrated to his country how to defeat experienced and magical players like Han Jian while playing with their level of energy and spirit.
