Chapter 16: Shadows in the Marketplace
Delhi — March 1, 2009 — 6:00 AM
Shiva stretched lazily in bed, sunlight sneaking through the dusty curtains.
He felt different today.
Lighter.
Confident.
For the first time since starting this crazy journey, he believed:
Maybe... just maybe... this could actually work.
Rickshaw Rush had 100 beta testers.
Feedback was rolling in.
Bugs were being squashed one by one.
The wheels of destiny had started to spin.
But destiny, Shiva was learning, always came with new challenges.
And this morning, a new kind of enemy was lurking.
---
7:30 AM – Rohit's Panic Call
Rohit's name flashed on Shiva's Nokia phone.
Odd. Rohit never called so early.
"Bro, problem!" he barked the moment Shiva picked up. "Big problem!"
Shiva sat up straight. "What happened?"
"Some dude uploaded Rickshaw Rush APK on a public forum! Free download! No credit to you!"
Silence.
Cold fear spread through Shiva's chest.
"Send me the link," he said, voice low.
---
7:35 AM – The Leak
Shiva clicked the link Rohit sent.
It led to a shady-looking site: FreeAndroidFun.net.
And right there, under "New Indian Games,"
was Rickshaw Rush.
Uploaded by someone called 'GameHunter_87'.
No mention of Shiva.
No mention of Rohit.
No link to the Facebook page.
Nothing.
Just a stolen APK.
Being downloaded by strangers.
Without permission.
Without control.
---
8:00 AM – First Taste of Anger
Shiva paced the living room like a caged tiger.
Rohit texted:
> "What do we do now??"
Shiva typed furiously:
> "Nothing stupid. Think first."
Because yes — he was furious.
Someone had stolen his work.
But deep down, Shiva understood something most first-time creators didn't:
If people are stealing your work,
it means your work matters.
Mediocrity was never pirated.
This is a sign, he thought grimly. A painful one, but a sign.
---
9:00 AM – Strategy Session
Instead of wasting time being angry, Shiva grabbed his journal and wrote:
Piracy Strategy:
Step 1: Contact forum admins, politely request takedown.
Step 2: Push official channels harder (Facebook, YouTube, Orkut).
Step 3: Build Rickshaw Rush BRAND. Make official version better than pirated ones.
Step 4: Launch on legit app stores ASAP.
Because the truth was brutal:
You can't stop piracy.
But you can outshine it.
---
10:00 AM – The Takedown Attempt
Shiva and Rohit drafted a formal-sounding email:
> "Dear Admins,\n\nWe are the developers of Rickshaw Rush, an original Indian mobile game. It has been uploaded on your site without our permission. Kindly remove it to respect intellectual property.\n\nThank you.\n- Shiva & Rohit, Developers"
Professional.
Firm.
No drama.
They sent it.
And waited.
And waited.
And waited.
No reply.
Typical.
---
1:00 PM – Going on Offense
If the pirates wouldn't back down, Shiva would drown them out.
He messaged every beta tester:
> "Official Rickshaw Rush v1.2 now live! Get it from OUR links only! Avoid fake versions! (Cool new features coming!)"
He updated the Facebook page:
New screenshots
New videos
Funny memes about Delhi traffic ("Only real Delhites will survive Rickshaw Rush!")
He even made a quick funny banner:
> "REAL Rickshaw Rush > FAKE Rush!
Get chaos, not crashes!"
It worked.
Beta testers rallied.
Some even trolled the pirate forums, spamming comments like:
> "This version sucks, official is better! lol"
---
4:00 PM – Lessons from the Battlefield
By evening, Shiva realized:
This wasn't just about coding anymore.
It was about building a movement.
A community.
A tribe.
If players felt ownership,
if they felt part of Rickshaw Rush,
then no thief could steal that.
Games were more than apps.
They were emotions.
---
7:00 PM – A Message from a Stranger
While checking his page, Shiva spotted a message request.
It was from someone named Kunal Mathur.
A college student from Pune.
> "Hey man, huge fan of Rickshaw Rush! Played the beta — hilarious!!
Would love to help you promote it! I know some gaming YouTubers too.
Let's talk?"
Shiva's heart raced.
An ally.
An influencer.
Maybe even a friend.
---
9:00 PM – New Plan, New Dream
That night, Shiva scribbled a new goal at the top of his notebook:
**March 15, 2009:
500 Players
10 YouTubers covering Rickshaw Rush
Launch official APK on GetJar & XDA Developers**
And under it, he wrote:
> "If they try to steal your light,
make the sun shine brighter."
Tomorrow would be a new war.
A bigger one.
But Shiva, for the first time, was smiling.
He loved the fight.
He loved the climb.
---
[End of Chapter 16]