It has been quite the journey for the Sen brothers, Lakshya and Chirag, from the high hills of Almora to the narrow streets of Bangalore, and now together on the national squad. Lakshya was the first player to gain recognition on the international scene, but on Tuesday, Chirag, the recent Senior National winner, joined him in the Indian squad for the Badminton Asia Team Championships, which will take place in Shah Alam, Malaysia, from February 13–19. For our family, seeing both of them play for the Indian team is a significant occasion. I get really attached to them as a parent and coach, having watched them grow from their early days to this point. Prolific coach and parent DK Sen expressed his overwhelming pride to PTI from Bengaluru.
Sen senior said, “I haven’t spoken to them yet; they’re in Kuala Lumpur for the Malaysia Open.” Sen had previously worked at NIS Bhopal in Meerut and SAI Almora Centre in 1991.
The Sen family has a long history with badminton. DK Sen learned the game from his father, who competed in All India Civil Services championships and won many medals. He was really instrumental in the establishment of the SAI center in Almora, which has given birth to a number of talented athletes, including Anupama Upadhyaya, the 2023 national champion.
Chirag was the brother who initially expressed interest in badminton out of the two.
“Chirag wanted to be a badminton player, while Lakshya didn’t show any interest initially, but he used to come for training and slowly started picking up the sport.” Lakshya went with Chirag when DK Sen chose to send his older son to the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy (PPBA) in Bengaluru. At first, they decided against going since Chirag was too young, but after noticing the small boy’s excitement, they chose to accept both siblings in.
Lakshya and Chirag have been together forever. Under my direction, they began in Almora and continued as a group in PPBA. When Lakshya and Chirag were alone in Bengaluru, it was Chirag who used to look after her. DK Sen stated, “He was there for him at all times.
The two brothers competed against one another in an under-13 All India sub-junior ranking boy’s doubles final, according to DK Sen’s account.
“Chirag had won the match and Lakshya cried a lot as he never liked giving away points but we realised later it was his strength.” For the past several years, Chirag, 25, has been a fixture on the domestic circuit. Although he was victorious in the 2020 Kenya International Challenge, he was never able to make headway on the senior circuit.
Conversely, Lakshya shown his abilities at an early age in the junior circuit and made a seamless transition into the senior ranks, winning two Super 500 titles (the India Open and the Canada Open), a bronze in the 2021 world championships, and two silvers in the All England Championships.
The key event for Chirag was when he won the Senior National Champions in Guwahati last month. Lakshya had made it to the finals twice in 2017 and 2019, but Chirag was able to accomplish the task.
Lakshya left the Guwahati tournament in the quarterfinals, but Chirag continued on to the semifinals, so he canceled his flights and remained to encourage his older brother.
“They have been close since they were young children. Despite having separate birthdays, they would always cut the cake together and the cake would always have both of their names on it, according to DK Sen.
“They have never harbored any rivalry. They have always had a close relationship. “I hope they can now bring honor to the nation,” he said.
