Calling all riddlers, makers and bakers!
Do you dream of changing the world? Excited about a new song you have written, a sauce you bottled, a hovercraft you built, a space you’ve discovered, a business you want to launch? Want to check if people love your recent invention?
Well you are guaranteed an audience if you are in Bangalore, my friend. Because Bangalore has had a love affair with all things new, for as long as anyone can remember. No wonder, it is a favourite test market for brands, and a mecca for entrepreneurs.
Today, we have selected a few experiences that will delight those of you who are always looking to experience the flavour of the season. This post is dedicated to the brave ones amongst us, who boldly go forth where others fear to tread.
Become an Escape Artist
Bangalore is now home to three different live escape rooms, where groups of people are challenged to enter a themed space, find clues, crack puzzles, and escape - all within a fixed amount of time. Inspirations for the rooms include movies, video games, fantasy writing and more.
Image Courtesy: www.whatshot.in
Get together with colleagues, family and friends, and pick the scenario that interests you the most. Some escape rooms will call for some old fashioned sleuthing, where you have to solve a murder, others rely upon your collective wit to outdo kidnappers, or bio-terrorists who will unleash a deadly virus if you don’t stop them in time.
If ancient history interests you more, go forth and find buried treasure in a Egyptian landscape, or if you are a fantasy fan, step into a land of vampires. Always dreamed of being the bad guy? How about attempting a prison break? Or making off with priceless art and pulling off a heist!
There are escape rooms of every colour and stripe. And they all challenge your ability to think on your feet. The concept originated in Japan and became popular in other parts of SE Asia, and today, they offer Bangaloreans a chance to detox from the digital world and test their real-world lateral-thinking skills.
So the next time you are thirsting for a break from the same pub-grub routine, head to an escape room in Koramangala or in Indiranagar. You can pay anywhere from Rs 400 - 600 per head for a 45min to hour long adventure.
Check out the following spaces:
Make in Bangalore
How about spending a Sunday fashioning a bookshelf with your very own hands with carpentry tools, or using a 3D Printer to prototype anything from a smartphone cover to jewellery? Would you like to channel Elon Musk to build a robotic component or wearable? Or perhaps you are a whiz at coding the app of the future. Design a game, use a welding kit, or CNC lathe - there is no end to the tools at your disposal in the makerspace of your dreams, Workbench Projects.
Makerspaces are spaces where tools and devices are at your disposal, so people can come together and collaborate, where they can talk to each other, design, and build a passion project, or perhaps create a breakthrough product of the future.
Workbench Projects is Bangalore’s very own makerspace and co-working arena. It offers 5000 sq ft of space, right under Halasuru Metro Station, to all inventors, innovators, entrepreneurs and tinkerers of the city. A crucible for all sorts of experimental projects, they conduct regular workshops to train you, they offer access to tools and devices, and have created a platform where you can meet like minded folks and find mentors to bring your project to life. So go check out what’s bubbling under here. Image Courtesy: www.diyhacking.com
Cook up a storm
Do you julienne ginger and zest a lemon when you cook? Do you critique your takeaway dinner as if you were on your own version of Masterchef or Kitchen Nightmares? Do you wish you could don an apron and cook up a storm in a lovely looking kitchen, if only for a day? Well, look no further, Slurp Studio, culinary studio and school is here to make your gastronomic dreams come true.
The chefs and trainers here are a damn sight, sweeter than Gordon Ramsay, and they will watch over your group as you chop, stir, mix, knead, fry, saute and bake your way to a delicious meal. Slurp Studio is on 12th Main in Indiranagar, and since they have opened, the studio has hosted birthday parties, baby showers, corporate team building activities, regional cuisine popups and more.
Their event calendar always has something new to offer, be it a workshop on Asian cuisine, a crash course in Lebanese cooking or a how-to make your own Bento box. Reserve a seat at one of their public cook-along events or book the studio for a private cooking session, that ends with a meal tasting that you made yourself!
