How Indore Mahanagar Lions Club turned a badminton tournament into a platform for awareness
Every point played at the 4th Lions Badminton Trophy carried more weight than the scoreboard suggested. Organised by Indore Mahanagar Lions Club, District 3233-G1, in association with Sartaj Badminton Academy, the Open School Tournament was held at Malhar Krida Mandal Usha Raje Holkar Hall, Indore. Dedicated to the memory of Smt. Chandrakala Bihani, mother of PDG Dr. Jawahar Bihani, the four-day event brought together 350 young shuttlers from schools and academies across the city, competing in Boys’ and Girls’ Singles across five age categories, from Under-9 to Under-17.
The tournament was built around three clear objectives: to provide young players with a competitive platform, to promote discipline through sport, and to raise awareness of childhood cancer and voluntary blood donation among the families filling the stands. The setting proved especially effective in achieving that objective. Parents who came to watch their children compete also left with information that could one day save a life.
Speaking about his mother, whose memory the tournament honours, PDG Dr. Jawahar Bihani addressed participants, parents and guests on the wider purpose behind the event—how sport builds discipline, brings communities together and creates opportunities to carry the Lions message on childhood cancer and the importance of early detection.
Blood Donation Ambassador Jagpreet Tuteja followed with an appeal for voluntary blood donation, reminding the audience that a single donor can help save multiple lives.
On court, the competition was intense. In the Girls’ category, Niya Tehlani, Pahal Chadokar, Girija Jadhav, Ojaswi Bhalave and Mishika Gupta claimed top honours in their respective age groups. In the Boys’ category, Harshvardhan Singh Rajput, Priyansh Baria, Shobhit Gupta, Aary Bam and Pragyan Saluja did the same. The Best Player Awards went to Ridhima Sood and Shobhit Gupta. All 350 participants received certificates, while winners and runners-up took home trophies.
The inauguration and closing ceremony drew a strong turnout of Lions leadership, including District Governor Anil Khandelwal, Vice District Governor Jai Prakash Tripathi, Past District Governors Parvinder Singh Bhatia and Sadhna Sodani, and Club President Anil Tanwar and office-bearers. Tournament Coordinators Harish Rajan and Vijay Vaswani, supported by the club’s members ensured that four days of competition ran seamlessly. The event also received extensive coverage in Indore’s print media.
The 4th Lions Badminton Trophy demonstrated something Lions have long understood: service does not always start with a podium or a speech. Sometimes it starts in a sports hall, in a conversation on the way home, or in a child who discovers that excellence in sport and service to others can grow side by side.