If you’ve ever wondered what a Delhi protest feels like, this indie game gives you a pixel‑packed front‑row seat.
Developed in Bareilly and launched last month, 'Jantar Mantar Chalo' lets you choose the side of the barricade and wrestle with lathi charges, detentions, and even a tea stall break.
Play as a protester and the goal is simple—get to Jantar Mantar, rally a caravan of up to 50 fighters, and hold a dharna as long as you can. Stack your ranks, dodge traffic potholes, and even eat golgappas to restore stamina. The game mocks the chaos of Delhi’s streets, from sudden metro gate closures to the ever‑present CCTV cameras. If you fail, you’re shipped to Narela or Kapashera, where the digital jail feels eerily real.
Kushwah, a DevOps engineer by day, spun the idea after watching news clips of protest footage. He admits he fed the code to Claude and other AI tools, but the core design is all his. His YouTube channel, Bugswriter, has 30,000 subscribers who already tuned in for the teaser trailer. He credits Slither.io for the simple yet addictive mechanics.
Gamers have mixed reviews: some love the satire, others say the physics feel clunky. Critics wonder whether a game about protest could cross into propaganda, but for now it’s a curious digital protest simulator that lets you feel the heat without stepping outside. The next update will reportedly add a night mode and a ‘civic engagement’ feature that lets you vote for protest slogans.