Sidewalk Games

Walking in Bangalore is like playing Jenga.  I’m sure you remember the game. One by one, players remove tiny wood rectangular blocks from a tall tower. The individual who causes the tower to fall when pulling out a block loses.

Bangalore’s sidewalks are constructed just like a Jenga tower. Giant rectangular slabs lay side by sized forming a modular sidewalk.  At first, this does not seem unique. New York, San Francisco, and London all have square modular sidewalks, right? Well, Bangalore’s sidewalk is special…and interactive.

Similar to Jenga, some slabs of concrete are solid and secure while others are unstable.  The fun of the game is finding out through trial and error whether you are standing on a solid ground. Speaking from experience, the game is quite exhilarating. One minute you are strolling alone and the next you are wobbling uncontrollably…arms flailing…shouting out an explicative (or two) in front of small children. Jenga!

Only after my run in with a loose slab of concrete did I realize these walls of rock are precariously balanced above a deep gully running down the center of the sidewalk. 

The key to Bangalorian Jenga is looking for clues. The degree of the panel’s tilt. The space between the adjacent slab. The lack of caulking. As an apprentice player, I now follow behind other more experienced players, gingerly tracking their footsteps. Perhaps by day 28, I'll be a Jenga master.