What these gifted young men and women have done is to show how the antics of a few ultra-orthodox individuals can give a distorted picture of the entire state. Even as the rest of the country were aghast at the cruel diktats of the khap panchayats against love affairs and marriages within the same gotra and seemingly even paving the way for the so-called “honour” killings of the accused couples, those interested in sports were quietly nursing and enhancing their skills.

The impact of their success at the CWG cannot be overstated. It will not be easy now to look upon Haryana as backward, as was its image till now. Nor will Jats, the most dominant community in the state, be known only for their rough and ready ways. Instead, their energy and spirited attitude will be seen as the basis of the outstanding achievements of the sports fraternity, which have placed Haryana in the fifth place after Australia (177 medals), England (142), Canada (75) and India 73 - if Haryana's 28 medals are subtracted from India's total of 101.

At the social level, the sight of young women in shorts and shirts performing at an international event cannot but sweep away old prejudices and act as a tool of empowerment. The crusty elders of the khap panchayats will now think twice before imposing their antediluvian opinions on the community. Such a momentous change will also be due to the fact that nearly all the sportspersons are from ordinary families. Wealth and lineage had nothing to do with their success. Driven by self-belief, they acted on their own and defied, with help of their forward-looking parents, the age-old customs of early marriage and drudgery in the kitchen in order to practice their craft for long hours with members of both the sexes.

This emergence of middle class sportsmen and women from the decrepit mofussil towns has been one of the new features of “incredible” India. It was first seen in the appearance of cricket players from states which were not traditionally associated with cricket, like Mumbai. Now, the athletes, discus throwers, wrestlers, archers, shooters, et al are also emerging from a semi-rural background. If the inadequacy of training facilities and the low income of their families have not been a deterrent - the father of Deepika Kumari, winner of a gold medal in archery, is an auto-rickshaw driver in Ranchi - the reason is not only the fierce determination of the individuals themselves and their supportive parents and parents-in-law, as in the case of Anisa Sayyed, but also the realization that new horizons are opening up for those who aim high.

One explanation as to why Haryana - and not, say, Bihar - has suddenly forged ahead in this spectacular manner is the northern state's economic progress. Although still largely an agricultural province, Haryana has effectively utilized its advancement in this field by becoming a leading contributor to the country's foodgrain and milk production. The state, which has the third highest per capita income, also boasts of having the largest number of rural millionaires. But it isn't agricultural development alone which is behind Haryana's prosperity. As the dazzling lights of Gurgaon will testify, the state's urban landscape is also undergoing a rapid transformation.

What these changes show is that Haryana has come a long way from the uncertain days of its formation in 1966 following the Akali Dal's prolonged Punjabi Suba agitation, which paved the way for the separation of the Punjabi-speaking areas from the Hindi-speaking areas. In its early years, Haryana was very much the poor cousin of its more prosperous neighbour. But while Punjab suffered through the 1980s from Khalistani separatism and is currently experiencing a financial crisis, Haryana has shot ahead apparently because of its more stable social and political scene.

An argument against the CWG is that so much expenditure - an estimated Rs 70,000 crore - is unwarranted in a poor country and that the money could have been better spent on providing drinking water and toilet facilities in the villages and improving rural heath centres and the quality of primary education. Much of this is true. But, at the same time, what can also be taken into account as a plus point is the role played by such an international event in, first, improving the status of women and, secondly, in refurbishing the awareness of India's essential unity as sportsmen and women from all over the country, from the north-east to the north-west to the deep south, participate in the different games. (IPA Service)