New Delhi, June 11 -- At daybreak, a smattering of children quietly emerge from their homes and make their way out of dusty bylanes. Their eyes groggy, their ears swollen and their bodies battered; they dutifully march on to the nearest akhada (mud pit). Mitti (soil), they say, is sacred; and so when mitti calls, they answer. The day has only just begun in Haryana's hinterlands. Last month's wrestling trials for the Asian Games revealed a telling statistic. All 18 selected were from Haryana. Tell that to a Haryanvi wrestler of any vintage, and they simply shrug their shoulders. At the 2024 Olympics, 24 out of India's 117-athlete contingent (20%) came from Haryana. Among the medallists (individual sports), Neeraj Chopra, Manu Bhaker, Sarabjo...