Sahil Ansari has spent more than half of his 19 years in the shadow of crime. He grew up in Karmatar, the heart of Jamtara’s infamous cybercrime network, under fear, scrutiny, and stigma. “We can’t live freely or move around openly in our village,” he says. “Step outside Jamtara, and people judge you for where you come from. Here, you are dealt a bad hand the moment you are born.”

Then, three years ago, Ansari found his escape — through hockey. He now plays as a defender and is on the cusp of making it to the Jharkhand team.

Enter, Jamtara

On November 7, Indian hockey turns 100. To mark the centenary, 1,400 games will be played simultaneously across more than 550 districts all over India. More than 36,000 players will descend on the traditional hockey hubs, from Coorg to Chandigarh .

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