When the All England Open Badminton Championships begin on Tuesday, it will be a momentous occasion not just for badminton, but for all sport. For, the All England turns 100, marking a journey that is of great emotional significance to followers of the game.
In a world of change, it has been one constant.
Unlike many other tournaments, the All England is not just an event, it is rather a marker of time, of evolution. It is so closely associated with the development of badminton that to study the tournament would be a miniature study of the game, for it has reflected most of the major changes that the game has undergone.
Like Wimbledon in tennis, it has been associated with tradition and an older, purer form of sport.
Badminton evolved from a pastime called Battledore and Shuttlecock sometime during the 1850s. Badminton clubs mushroomed in England, and it was only a matter of time before the first open tournament was held. This was a doubles tournament in March 1898 at Guildford, and the response was so enthusiastic that the organisers decided to conduct another one the next year. Thus, in 1899, was the All England born.
That would be the only year the Championships was held at the Drill Hall at Buckingham Gate in London. It arrived at the National Indoor Arena, Birmingham, in 1994. The annual event saw two interruptions due to war (1915-1919 and 1940 to 1946).
The Indian interest in the All England dates back to 1947, when Devinder Mohan and Prakash Nath were sent; the money mobilised through private donations.
The event was at Harringay Arena; the winter was ferocious and snow had deposited on the court through the ventilators. To make matters worse, the wooden courts were on top of a skating rink and the snow had frozen.
The two Indians reached the quarterfinals and — in an episode that would be recounted over generations — tossed a coin. Prakash Nath won the toss, beat his semifinal opponent, and entered the final. Unfortunately, on the morning of the final he read of Partition riots in his hometown Lahore, and was in no position to challenge Conny Jepsen of Sweden for the title.
Although other Indians — such as TN Seth, Nandu Natekar, Suresh Goel and Dinesh Khanna — contested the championships, each with varying degrees of success, it was left to Prakash Padukone to eventually win the title for India in 1980.
His title triumph revolutionised the sport in India. Padukone often acknowledges that it is the All England, more than anything else (including his World Cup in 1981) that pitched badminton to the forefront in India.
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