In a region that is equated with Jamtara as India’s cybercrime capital, how does one divert the youth from the lure of the dark arts? The answer may lie in sports.Khelo Mewat, a test balloon floated earlier this year was so successful that its upcoming grand finale, scheduled in Sept, has villages buzzing. Will Jhamuwas ace volleyball? Will Malab rule the mat? Can Rajpur be lords of cricket? Does Nagina have the nimblest feet in football?Starting with competitions among panchayat-level teams in the Mewat region, moving on to block-level matches, and culminating in the September district-level finals, the first edition has seen nearly 10,000 participants. There were 264 cricket teams, 150 volleyball teams, 214 tug-of-war teams, 119 wrestling squads and over 1,000 track and field athletes.Yes, the adrenaline rush helped, but cash was a big motivator – Rs 1.5 lakh for the winning teams and Rs 5 lakh for the overall champion.In Nuh, heart of the Mewat region, the need to find better use of time for youths idling without jobs was felt because of another problem – growing use of drugs. ‘Joined village team as fast bowler. Cricket took my mind off smoking’ In the last fiscal year, Nuh’s only govt-run drug rehabilitation centre had seen 493 people turn up for treatment, of whom 57 needed admission. In the first quarter of this fiscal (Apr-July), patients who turned up had already touched 302 while admissions rose to 85. “A youngster who wants to experiment can get drugs within minutes,” said Imran, sarpanch of Firozpur Namak. “This is why it’s dangerous. If they’re busy with sports, they don’t even get a chance.”On Apr 3, the first ever edition of Khelo Mewat was launched by the Nuh administration as a three-month competition that would act as a mass distraction for the youth. Besides special outreach to families there, many of the Khelo Mewat matches were organised in 60 villages in the Punahana and Ferozepur Jhirka blocks, identified as cybercrime hotspots to which cybercrimes have been traced from across states – from fake parcels and electricity disconnection threats to investment frauds and digital arrests. Cybercrime gangs proliferated in Nuh during the pandemic as the economy came to a halt and poverty forced many local youths to look for ways of income. In 2023, Haryana police launched ground operations targeted at this network with raids at more than a dozen villages based on analysis of mobile tower data dumps. Eventually, cyber fraudsters from here were linked to 28,000 cybercrime complaints and 1,346 FIRs filed across India.
Huge money these gangs made was used to lure more local youths into joining them. “They pick up laptops and begin working within days. If that intelligence doesn’t have the right path, it will go wrong. In Nuh, it was going wrong at a very fast pace,” said district sports officer Manoj Kumar.With easy cash came flashy lifestyles, and drugs. “Drug use is more prevalent in interior areas because youths have nothing to do. In the evenings, they gather in deserted grounds to smoke up. Nuh has the highest drug rate in Haryana,” Kumar said. “Khelo Mewat gives us a double benefit. On one hand, youngsters become physically fit, and on the other, they stay away from crime and drugs. If some of them go on to bring medals for the country, Mewat’s name will shine.”Khelo Mewat saw maximum participation from Punahana (1,528 players), followed by Indri (1,480) and Nagina (1,419). In all, 325 panchayats and 59 ward teams competed across 18 events.Rashid, a 19-year-old from Nagina, said, “I had a cousin who showed me how easy it was to make money online a year ago. I tried it for a few weeks and made Rs 15,000, but I was scared all the time. When Khelo Mewat started, my friends pushed me into playing volleyball. Now, every evening I’m on court. My parents proudly introduce me to neighbours not as someone sitting with a laptop but an athlete.”A 17-year-old boy from Ujiyana said he got addicted to smoking, lost interest in studies and eventually dropped out of school. “I used to sit with older boys in the evening and smoke. It felt normal. In April, the village team came looking for a fast bowler, and my name was put forward. Cricket became my escape. Now, I don’t even think about smoking. My mother says I’ve become a different person,” he said.“When youngsters know that winning a match can bring not just medals but also cash prizes for their team, the motivation changes completely. Suddenly, every child wants to play and every village wants to win. This is how we hope to turn competition into community progress,” said Nuh additional deputy commissioner Pradeep Malik, pointing to Khelo Mewat becoming a conversation point among villagers. Kumar, the sports officer, added, “Sports is another name for discipline. Our youth are talented and strong. Our job is to guide them on the right path.”Govt officials have done their bit by joining in. “We cannot just sit in offices and tell the youth to play. We must step into the ground with them. That is why officers joined cricket matches to encourage the teams from the front,” said an official.Still nascent, but the sports push is beginning to show early results. Forty volleyball courts have been built in villages of Mewat, the region that comprises areas both in Haryana and Rajasthan. A boxing shed has come up in Nagina, and a new stadium has been planned in Singar. The Nuh administration is keen to build cricket pitches, basketball courts and kho-kho grounds.“Mewat does not lack talent,” said Chaudhari Shaukat, leader of 22 villages in Siroli. “Now, we want to focus on education and sports. We will show Haryana what Mewat can achieve.”Rahim Ahmed, captain of the winning cricket team from Punahana, said the win “meant everything” to players. “We’ve been practising on uneven grounds with little or no equipment but were determined. Khelo Mewat gave us a platform to showcase our talent. Going to the finals feels like a dream. We want to make Punahana proud,” he said.Rohit, a member of the winning volleyball team of Pinangwan block, said, “We faced tough competition but won because we played like one unit. Winning Khelo Mewat has shown our village that sports can build futures. My mother was unsure when I got into sports, but now she cheers louder than anyone else. This win is for her and for all mothers who support their children” he said.
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