(NOTE: This article was originally published in the India Today issue dated June 2, 2025)
It’s a sweltering afternoon in Brahimpur in east Uttar Pradesh’s Sultanpur district, but 35-year-old farmer Surya Pratap Singh seems oblivious to it. He is sitting beneath a neem tree, furiously tapping his phone screen. Around him, a few plastic chairs and a charpoy make up what is probably Brahimpur gram sabha’s unofficial gaming lounge. The game of choice isn’t played with dice or cards, it’s all digital instead, be it ludo, fantasy cricket or online rummy. The stakes? They are very real. “This has been our routine for years,” says Surya Pratap. “No matter what I’m doing, I have to play. I need Rs 2,000-3,000 every day just to…
