BUIDL: Hitching a ride on the web3 wagon

The Ethereum ecosystem, particularly the scaling L2 solutions are witnessing dramatic progress in terms of breakthroughs and innovation. The Infinite Garden is the phrase used to refer to the truly decentralized techno-haven where interaction between online entities are transparent and uncensored. Free from censorship, state control, fraud, and malicious agents, powered by the ecosystem of applications built on blockchains - in short, an information utopia. Personally, the idea seems enticing and inviting. But transitioning from web2 to web3 is a long way and the vision I outlined, although the shared vision of the people on the frontier of this revolution, is still a long, long way into the future.

I was fortunate to be part of the IITD contingent to ETHIndia 22’ hackathon conducted in Whitefield, Bengaluru from Dec 2nd to Dec 4th. In this post, I’ll try to examine the state of web3 in India, note my observations and experiences while interacting with people in the web3 space.

The Glass Fortress

First, let’s talk about obvious logistical differences between BLR and DEL. Bengaluru is blessed to have a moderate climate and very little pollution (something Delhites can pray for ;-;), especially owing to the number of natural parks and foliage that form an integral part of the city. I went on solo tripping around the city on 5th and 6th after the hackathon and was fortunate to explore Cubbon Park, a sprawling park right in the city center which also houses the Karnataka High Court, the State Library, and couple of other administrative institutions. Not to sound insensitive but Kannada names are so difficult to remember! I know it’s just about getting used to them but that’s the first impression. Funny I guess.

Bengaluru has been dubbed the “Silicon Valley” of India and the IT capital of the country. I think the second moniker fits the city more but the first nickname is catching fast. BLR is the city where the tech talent of the country resides. But note that most of these people are not building stuff for themselves but for others. India’s tech talent is mostly locked up in glass fortresses doing outsourced work for foreign MNCs. But as I said, this is changing fast and the young Bengaluru is home to some really cool experiments and ideas - all Made In India. For students like us, I think it is our responsibility to work on realising the first nickname rather than the second.

My impression of Bengaluru is perhaps conditioned because I had a argubly tiny observation period but for now it stands as this: A positive feedback loop between aggregation of tech talent of the country and money being poured by capitalism hungry VCs. Yes, it all looks pristine and shiny from the outside but to make that internal shift and change requires a collective effort that is still lacking. I used to believe there are pockets of innovation in India like the IITs but I’m saddened to realise (once I got into one) that the reality is quite different from what I perceived it to be.

But I don’t feel disheartened. There are pockets of extreme innovation and real value making in Bengaluru too. Like in any distribution, there would be a very small percentage of really good developers and dreamers and visionaries. I think they are out there. Polygon is a beautiful example of the same. The rest are simply trying to hitch a ride on the web3 wagon lest they find it long gone. After all, it’s the next “big thing”, right?

ETHIndia 2022

ETHIndia was my first offline hackathon experience and it has set a very high bar with which to compare future hackathons by. It was an amazing and energizing atmosphere with around 2000 hackers typing away at their keyboards and banging their heads on the tables 24X7. With atmost six hours of sleep in 36 hours (a personal best), my team comprising of sophomores, juniors, and seniors were able to conjure a decentralized content creator platform. The process was fraught with many blockers as it was our first web3 development experience. Given our expertise level, I’m very proud of what we pulled off. Here are the repos (frontend and contract) if anyone is interested :P

I had a lighthearted conversation with Ashish, my friend and fellow teammate, about how we should be ditching corporate jobs for creating an open space office with bean bags and infinite food counters. I would personally like that :D

Solo tripping through the Garden City: A story in pictures

I am a planned traveller (or maybe I’m just discovering myself). In any case, I poured over Bengaluru travel guides, tweet feeds, and notion pages to chalk out the perfect two day solo vacation plan around Bengaluru. The results are quite impressive as I was able to pack in so much of the BLR experience in such a short time. Also, “Pete” means downtown in Kannada.

PS: I’m a big foodie too! Enjoy!

Want more pictures? (Click me)

Here are the guides if anyone needs:

1. DevFolio City Guide (Notion)
2. Ek Baar Banta Hai (Notion)
3. Twitter feed (Twitter)

Rant: I was still unable to visit a few places I had on my list such as HAL museum, Commercial St. and try out food at Meghana and Nagarjuna. Until next time :)

Marginal notes

My last entry was six months ago during endsem break of the last semester. I tried to write in between but you can imagine the kind of engagement and commitments that sophomore year at college demands. The Bengaluru trip was a happy incident and I’m glad I took the call. I observed and learnt many things.

On a personal level as a developer, the hackathon gave me perspective. It made me humbled and grounded. It was a revelationary experience to interact with people in the industry and to be aware of that body of brilliant developers and changemakers outside the confines of IITD.

Keep an eye for this space. I intend to write more in the break hopefully.

Thanks for tuning in, :)