“Most people give up too quickly. This book proves them wrong.”
– Dr. Ashwin Mahesh, Urban expert; Founder, India Together
“A masterclass in citizen advocacy. Sathya didn’t just fight the battle; he documented the playbook.”
– Srinivas Alavilli, Civic activist; Fellow, WRI India
Five citizens refused to accept a city that no longer moved.
What followed was a decade-long civic campaign that outlasted four chief ministers, survived bureaucratic silence, and ultimately succeeded in bringing suburban rail to one of the most congested cities in the world.
In Break the Block, Sathya tells the inside story of how ordinary citizens challenged institutional intertia; and won. Drawing from years of activism, hard lessons and uncomfortable compromises, this book is both a candid memoir and a practical playbook for anyone trying to change systems designed to resist change.
“Proof that ordinary citizens with evidence and persistence can move the unmovable.”
– V. Ravichandar, Civic evangelist; Co-organiser, Bangalore Literature Festival
“A lived account of how dialogue, persistence, and citizen-government partnership brought suburban rail to Bengaluru.”
– V. Manjula, Additional Chief Secretary (Retd.)
“Shows how positive change requires remarkable vision, passion, and persistence. An inspiring read!”
– Prof. M.V. Rajeev Gowda, Ex-MP, Rajya Sabha
www.breaktheblock.in
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SATHYA SANKARAN
Sathya Sankaran is an urban technologist, civic activist, and policy advocate based in Bengaluru. With three decades in technology and fifteen years in civic activism, he brings a rare blend of technical expertise and ground-level organizing to urban challenges. As architect of AltMo, a gamified mobility intelligence platform, his data-driven work enabled a 342% increase in cycling and walking infrastructure allocation in Bengaluru's Comprehensive Master Plan and established over 20 kilometers of dedicated cycle tracks.
In 2009, Sankaran co-founded the Namma Railu campaign — a citizen-led effort to bring commuter rail to India's most traffic-congested city. The campaign, documented in this book, succeeded in 2020 when the Union Cabinet approved the Bengaluru Suburban Rail Project.
As Bengaluru's first Bicycle Mayor (appointed 2018), he launched Cycle Day — now India's longest-running open streets event — and led Relief Riders during COVID-19, mobilizing 725 volunteer cyclists across 12 Indian cities to deliver essentials to the elderly. The initiative earned the UN World Bicycle Day Award and received Nobel Peace Prize nominations.
He hosts The OoruLabs Podcast, India's premier urban affairs podcast, with 123 episodes and over 90 guests exploring cities, governance, and civic engagement.
Break the Block is his first book.
