achin Sapra's childhood dream to become a gaming champion was achieved in December 2004 when he won Rs 10 lakh in prize money at the Nokia Gaming championship. "I was always into gaming, be it consoles, PC games, online or mobile," recalls the 23-year-old who runs a gaming arcade in a Delhi suburb and is much admired by many of his tribe.

From the west, the gaming phenomenon passed India by as it moved on to Japan, Korea, Taiwan and China and became a $20 billion business in the process. Until now. Gaming is still a blip rather than a craze here but, according to a recent survey by NASSCOM (National Association of Software and Services Companies), is expected to grow ninefold in four years. ... more