In the historic 1947 All-England Badminton Championships, two Indian players - Prakash Nath and Devinder Mohan - faced each other in the quarterfinals. Instead of competing, they chose an extraordinary path: a coin toss to decide who would advance - favoring national pride over personal ambition. Devinder graciously lost the toss and conceded, hoping that ultimately an Indian would reach the later stages of the prestigious tournament .

As fate would have it, Prakash Nath marched on, defeating an English opponent in the semifinal, and briefly held the hopes of a nation on his shoulders. Tragically, the morning of the final brought the harrowing news of rioting in his hometown of Lahore; distraught and distracted, he lost the championship. The emotional anguish surrounding the Partition overshadowed what would've been a historic win .

What started as a simple coin flip has since become a powerful symbol of camaraderie, sacrifice, and the tumultuous era’s intrusion into sport - a moment that transcended competition and resonated across generations.