Sidewalks

Of the many infrastructure problems from which Bangalore suffers, sidewalks are on the top of our list. For Jay, a daily walking commuter, navigating the rugged terrain from the apartment to the office is a regular challenge.

Sidewalks in Bangalore are typically made of blocks about the size of bricks, although a bit flatter, that if properly laid will interlock together forming a uniform walking surface. Well, the “if properly laid” is the rub.

Sidewalk laying appears to be subcontracted to an extended family consisting of two men, a woman and children laboring with only hand tools. These folks initially labor to unearth sidewalk blocks that have broken, shifted by tree roots, or been haphazardly re-laid by various utility workers. Unearthed blocks are cleaned by hand. New subsoil or sand is applied via hand-carried, curved metal bowls that look like large Frisbees. The interlocking sidewalk blocks re-laid and tapped into place by heavy metal hammers. No mortar is used in the process. When they run out of blocks the sidewalk ends. The blocks at the edges almost immediately begin shifting out of place. If new rows of interlocking blocks do not align with an existing row of interlocking blocks…well they just don’t align or interlock. Gaps at curbs caused by the need for a half sized block are filled with rubble or dirt.

The newly laid sidewalk is useable but its life’s expectancy is precarious. Inevitably a repair effort will be subcontracted in a year or two to an extended family composed of two men, a woman and children now a year or two older.