Chapter 27: When the Underground Hits the Surface
Delhi — April 20, 2009 — 9:00 AM
The day started ordinary enough.
Traffic snarled as usual.
Rickshaw drivers cursed and honked.
Students stumbled half-asleep into morning lectures.
Shiva was camped out in Riya's room, scribbling new tournament locations on a large city map.
They had captured North Campus.
Now they needed new hunting grounds:
South Campus. Saket. Noida Sector 18. Gurgaon CyberHub.
The League was growing fast — too fast.
Maybe even too loud.
Because somewhere else in Delhi, someone was noticing.
---
10:30 AM — A Curious Journalist
Her name was Aditi Sinha.
She worked for CityBeat, a local Delhi TV channel that ran human interest stories between serious news segments.
Young.
Sharp-eyed.
Tired of boring political coverage.
She picked up whispers about "secret gaming tournaments" happening across Delhi universities.
Students crammed into cafes at midnight.
Thousands of rupees exchanging hands.
Some players being treated like rockstars.
It sounded juicy.
It sounded perfect.
She decided to investigate.
---
April 22, 2009 — The First Contact
Aditi slipped quietly into a Rickshaw Rush underground event at a cybercafe near Venkateshwara College.
She kept a low profile:
Wore jeans and a hoodie.
Carried an old phone.
Pretended to be a student.
Inside, it was madness:
40 players packed into a space meant for 20.
Spectators perched on broken chairs.
Two sweaty boys shouting at each other over a photo finish.
Shiva stood by the door, arms folded, eyes scanning like a hawk.
He noticed her immediately.
Not because she looked suspicious.
But because she didn't.
She didn't cheer.
Didn't laugh.
Didn't curse when players crashed.
She watched.
Coldly.
Calculating.
After the tournament, when the champion — a girl from Gargi College named Megha — was crowned, Aditi approached Shiva.
Calm. Smiling.
"Nice setup," she said casually. "Ever think about going bigger?"
Shiva narrowed his eyes.
"And you are?"
She flashed a small ID card.
CityBeat News.
> "I want to do a piece on Rickshaw Rush League," she said.
"Nothing heavy. No snitching. Just… celebrate how big gaming's getting in Delhi."
Shiva didn't trust journalists.
But he also wasn't stupid.
Publicity could be a weapon too — if used smartly.
He thought for a long moment.
Then said,
"Alright. One condition."
She raised an eyebrow.
"You let me pick where and how you film it."
Aditi grinned.
"Deal."
---
April 24, 2009 — Lights, Camera, Madness
Venue:
A dusty basketball court inside North Campus, hastily cleaned and decorated with Rickshaw Rush banners.
Over 100 players and spectators showed up.
Students in Rickshaw Rush t-shirts.
Hand-painted signs: "Rush or Die!", "King of the Streets!"
Loudspeakers blasting Bollywood remixes.
Aditi's small camera crew set up discreetly.
She walked among the players, interviewing them:
"Why do you play Rickshaw Rush?"
"What makes it better than all the corporate games?"
"What's it like being part of something this raw, this underground?"
Answers poured out:
"It's OUR game. Not theirs."
"It's about pride, not just money."
"Rickshaw Rush made us legends in our colleges."
The energy was electric.
By the time Shiva gave his short, fiery interview — standing atop a broken basketball hoop like a general addressing troops —
Aditi knew she had gold.
---
April 25, 2009 — The Broadcast
7:30 PM.
CityBeat's prime-time segment aired:
> "Delhi's Gaming Revolution: Inside the Secret World of Rickshaw Rush"
Clips flashed across the screen:
Furious players racing their rickshaws.
Roaring crowds.
Wads of ₹500 notes changing hands.
Shiva's passionate speech:
> "This isn't just a game. It's a movement. We drive. We fight. We WIN."
The piece ended with Aditi's voiceover:
> "In a world dominated by big corporations, one street-born game is teaching a generation how to dream, fight, and win — one rickshaw race at a time."
---
April 26, 2009 — The Fallout
Shiva's phone exploded.
Hundreds of congratulatory texts.
Dozens of new players asking to join tournaments.
Four small brands offering to sponsor future events.
But not everyone was happy.
GameNode Studios —
the polished corporate giant behind Rickshaw Rampage —
finally realized they weren't fighting a small-time college kid anymore.
They were fighting a movement.
And corporations hate movements they can't control.
---
April 27, 2009 — The Warning
A brown envelope arrived at Shiva's home.
No stamps.
No address.
Just one piece of paper inside:
> "Cease and Desist.
Rickshaw Rush tournaments violate multiple copyright laws and public assembly regulations.
Immediate shutdown required.
Failure to comply will result in legal action."
Signed:
GameNode Studios Legal Department.
Shiva sat on the roof that evening, holding the letter.
He wasn't scared.
He was furious.
> "They couldn't beat us on the streets.
Now they're trying to beat us with paper."
He crumpled the letter.
Threw it off the roof.
Watched the wind carry it away into Delhi's polluted sunset.
> "Let them come," he thought.
"We'll show them what real revolution looks like."
---
[End of Chapter 27]