New Delhi, July 13 -- You could call it a double peak Bengaluru moment, combining as it did two of the city's abiding passions-technology and citizen activism. Early in May, around 20 people assembled near the Chinmaya Mission Hospital in Indiranagar at 11.30 on a Saturday morning to loiter with intent. They were volunteers who had shown up to conduct a "walkability audit" as part of a project called Bangalore Ethereum Localism (BEL), which is using a Web 3 tool to gather data about Bengaluru's footpaths.

"We wanted to explore how this technology, its verifiability and transparency coupled with digital rewards and community coordination could support and benefit lives," says Madhav Sampat, founder of Bangalore Ethereum Localism. It is a ...