All posts tagged: Karunakaran

Name Kochi airport after K. Karunakaran, says Congress leader V.M. Sudheeran

Name Kochi airport after K. Karunakaran, says Congress leader V.M. Sudheeran

Published by Parlour News

Senior Congress leader and former Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president V. M. Sudheeran on Sunday (July 5, 2026) urged the United Democratic Front (UDF) government to rename the Cochin International Airport (CIAL) after former Chief Minister K. Karunakaran, describing the airport as the most enduring symbol of the late Congress stalwart’s determination and vision. Speaking after offering floral tributes at Karunakaran’s memorial at Murali Mandiram in Poonkunnam in Thrissur as part of the leader’s 108th birth anniversary observance, Mr. Sudheeran said the airport was the culmination of Karunakaran’s unwavering resolve despite numerous political and administrative hurdles. “Even in the face of repeated challenges, Karunakaran never gave up on the project. The airport stands today as a testament to his never-say-die will,” he said, calling upon the State government to take the initiative to honour him by naming the airport after him. Mr. Sudheeran said Karunakaran’s approach to handling political, organisational and administrative crises continued to serve as a model for public life. “Whenever the country or the State faces difficult situations, the Leader’s style …

How HS Prannoy and Srikanth Kidambi pulled off impressive wins at Malaysia Masters

How HS Prannoy and Srikanth Kidambi pulled off impressive wins at Malaysia Masters

Published by Webster

Three years back in the middle of May, Srikanth Kidambi and HS Prannoy found themselves at the center of one of Indian badminton’s greatest triumphs. The two veterans took shared leadership, galvanised an otherwise young squad, and led India to the Thomas Cup title, which feels surreal till date. The recent few weeks, however, haven’t been easy going. Prannoy has struggled with a myriad physical issues since achieving his dream of representing India at the Olympics, while Srikanth’s ranking has kept plummeting, and he finds himself battling through qualification rounds to earn a ticket in the main draws of World Tour events or depending on withdrawals. The two veterans needed a day that reinforced that the work they have been putting in the background is worth it. On Wednesday in Kuala Lumpur, they received a shot in the arm. As they both completed their first-round upset job against higher-ranked opponents, they both let out a huge roar. Prannoy had lost the last three times he had faced Kenta Nishimoto but managed to arrest that mini-streak …

For Sathish Kumar Karunakaran, a day of many firsts at his new home as he stuns world No 7

For Sathish Kumar Karunakaran, a day of many firsts at his new home as he stuns world No 7

Published by Webster

“Living the Kuala Lumpur life,” read Sathish Kumar Karunakaran’s Instagram caption as he posed for a photograph with the Petronas Towers in the background. This was in May 2024, shortly after he had made the move to Malaysia to find a launchpad for his badminton career by training under coach Jivananthan Nair. Just over a year later, May 21, 2025, was a day of many firsts for Sathish. His family was in attendance to watch him in action at the Axiata Arena. He was facing a top-10 player for the first time on the BWF World Tour. And in the round of 32 against third seed Chou Tien Chen, Sathish registered the first big breakthrough win of his career, which has seen him shift cities and then countries in search of that elusive push. Fittingly, at his home away from home. “I’m feeling pretty good because I wanted a breakthrough win for a long time. And finally, it happened,” the 24-year-old told The Indian Express after his impressive 21-13, 21-14 win against world No. 7 …

Malaysia Masters: HS Prannoy, Satish Karunakaran, Kidambi Srikanth Register Wins; PV Sindhu Exits

Malaysia Masters: HS Prannoy, Satish Karunakaran, Kidambi Srikanth Register Wins; PV Sindhu Exits

Published by Webster

India’s male shuttlers, led by the experienced duo of H S Prannoy and Kidambi Srikanth, were off to a brilliant start but it was curtains for double Olympic-medallist PV Sindhu as she bowed out with a first-round loss at the Malaysia Masters badminton tournament in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday. Prannoy and Srikanth were joined by Satish Karunakaran in the second round of the event. Taking the court first, 2023 world championships bronze medallist Prannoy stunned fifth seed Kenta Nishimoto of Japan 19-21 21-17 21-16 in a hard-fought contest that lasted one hour and 22 minutes. The Indian will play Yushi Tanaka of Japan in the second round. Karunakaran, who won the 2023 Odisha Masters and 2024 Guwahati Masters, also registered an upset by stunning third seed Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei 21-13 21-14 in just 39 minutes. He will next face Christo Popov of France. Ayush Shetty, who had reached the semifinals at the Taipei Open super 300, also progressed after getting past Brian Yang of Canada 20-22 21-10 21-8, while world …

Malaysia Masters Super 500: HS Prannoy, Srikanth Kidambi, Sathish Karunakaran, Ayush Shetty beat higher-ranked players | Badminton News

Malaysia Masters Super 500: HS Prannoy, Srikanth Kidambi, Sathish Karunakaran, Ayush Shetty beat higher-ranked players | Badminton News

Published by Webster

In a year where men’s singles results for Indian badminton have been well below par so far on the BWF World Tour, Wednesday came as a bright spot in Kuala Lumpur at the Malaysia Masters Super 500 event. Veterans HS Prannoy and Srikanth Kidambi, and youngsters Sathish Kumar Karunakaran and Ayush Shetty all beat higher-ranked players to advance into the round of 16 at the Axiata Arena. Prannoy beat world No 12 Kenta Nishimoto, Srikanth Kidambi overcame world No 13 Lu Guang Zu, Ayush Shetty – who has been having a solid season – beat world No 30 Brian Yang. And the headliner was Sathish Kumar Karunakaran defeating world No 7 and veteran of the tour Chou Tien Chen. There was however heartbreak for PV Sindhu as her search for form and rhythm continued, losing 11-21 21-14 15-21 against Thuy Linh Nguyen of Vietnam. It was Sindhu’s 2nd defeat of the year against Nguyen. Story continues below this ad Among the early matches of the day, former Malaysia Masters winner Prannoy – in a repeat …

Sudirman Cup: ‘Anna, am nervous’ Anupama Upadhyaya and Sathish Karunakaran overcome panic to win on their India international debuts | Badminton News

Sudirman Cup: ‘Anna, am nervous’ Anupama Upadhyaya and Sathish Karunakaran overcome panic to win on their India international debuts | Badminton News

Published by Parlour News

Stepping out of PV Sindhu’s 5-foot-11 shadow can be very daunting. She might not have won any matches at the Sudirman Cup, but India’s singles coach Rahul Yadav, guided along two youngsters, who went from boggle eyed respect for Sindhu to absolute quaking fear to seeking inspiration from India’s tallest shuttle figure, who cheered from the sidelines. This, they did by winning on their India international debuts. First Anupama Upadhyaya walked upto Rahul and told him in the gym on the morning of the tie, that she was wracked by nerves and would be wretched if she couldn’t win, while replacing Sindhu for the women’s singles. Later, Sathish Karunakaran was 7-11 down against Harry Huang, who was nailing all the eyeball confrontations at the net, when he stumped the coach with the words “little panic”. Rahul was expecting something on those lines, but not, his main lead, men’s singles player to flat out admit: “Anna, I’m very nervous.” It all worked out well as India clinched the tie 3-2, thanks to the two singles. But …

Karunakaran Shares How Sai Pallavi & Team Helped Him Overcome Language Barrier for Thandel Debut

Karunakaran Shares How Sai Pallavi & Team Helped Him Overcome Language Barrier for Thandel Debut

Published by Parlour News

Karunakaran Thandel Debut (Photo Credit – Instagram) Thandel is released today, February 7, 2025. As we all know, it is a Telugu film, but it marks the debut of a Tamil actor and comedian in the Telugu film industry. Karunakaran recently shared that when he was approached for the film, he immediately accepted the offer after hearing the story without much thought. However, he later contacted the makers and informed them about his language barrier, as he didn’t know Telugu. The team took three to four hours to reassure him that language wouldn’t be an issue and that they would teach him what was needed. Karunakaran thanked the director and Allu Aravind of Geetha Arts for giving him this opportunity. He also mentioned that he had the phone numbers of the crew members because he frequently sought help from them. Another challenge he faced was learning the script. He would spend time with others, seeking their assistance to learn his lines and ensure he arrived at the shooting location well-prepared. However, in the area, the …

Why National Games singles champion Sathish Karunakaran trains in Kuala Lumpur

Why National Games singles champion Sathish Karunakaran trains in Kuala Lumpur

Published by Webster

Shuttler K Sathish Kumar Karunakaran, 23, had all the energy to expend in his versatile pursuit of trying to win two completely different badminton events— Singles and Mixed Doubles. The ambition itself was a little extravagant, if not knackering at the top competition levels. But Sathish also wanted sparring options of players much more skilled than him for both himself and Mixed doubles partner, Aadya Variyath, who would adapt to his shape-shifting, role-swerving games. Very few coaching centres indulged in this experiment. He knew he had to head to Malaysia – to accommodate that voracious appetite for skills. Picked for the Asian Mixed Team championship in China, starting February 11 on a maiden call-up, Sathish (Singles rank of 48, XD rank of 33), is a rare contemporary success stories, choosing to set base outside India for badminton The National Games finalist in Mixed Doubles and champion in Singles, on Tuesday at Dehradun, has moved bag and baggage to Kuala Lumpur’s second biggest facility, Asia Badminton Academy after failing to qualify in Mixed Doubles last Olympics. …

Sathish Karunakaran, Aakarshi Kashyap move to round of 16

Published by Webster

Indian shuttlers Sathish Kumar Karunakaran and Aakarshi Kashyap moved to the second round of the German Open Super 300 tournament while S Sankar Muthuswamy crashed out on Wednesday. Currently ranked world number 50, Sathish defeated world number 45 Misha Zilberman in a thrilling game to move to the pre-quarterfinal. Sathish, who won his maiden Super 100 title at the Odisha Open last year, won 21-18, 19-21, 21-19 to set a pre-quarterfinal clash with Nhat Nguyen of Ireland. While Sathish won the men’s singles encounter, he lost the mixed doubles tie with his partner Aadya Variyath against the third-seeded pair of Tang Chun Man/Tsu Ying Suet of Hong Kong. In women’s singles, Aakarshi Kashyap defeated Polina Buhrove of Ukraine to make her way to the round of 16. Aakarshi, who is coming after winning the Uganda International challenge last Sunday, defeated Polina in an hour-long battle 21-23, 21-17, 21-11 to register a comeback win. The world no. 43 Indian will face Denmark’s sixth seed Mia Blichfeldt next. S Sankar Muthuswamy almost pulled off an upset but …