Post by Dr. Subodh Agarwal, IAS

Jenga: Lessons from a Box of Wooden Blocks This transparent box of cookie-looking wooden pieces, placed right next to the cookies and rusk jars at my favourite tea stop — Tea Affair — had always tricked me. Each time, my mischievous mind smiled silently, thinking it was just a clever prank on unsuspecting customers. Till yesterday. My daughter Shagun Agarwal took me out for tea after dinner and insisted we play with these curious wooden blocks — a game called Jenga, a simple yet fascinating test of mind and dexterity. What is Jenga? • The Concept: A tower of 54 wooden blocks. Players take turns removing one block at a time and placing it on top without toppling the tower. • The Goal: To be the last person to move without making it collapse. • The Name: Derived from the Swahili word “kujenga”, meaning to build. • Origin: Created by Leslie Scott in 1983, inspired by her childhood in West Africa. What began as a casual post-dinner tea outing turned into a quiet reminder: Every day offers something new to discover, learn, and build - sometimes from the most ordinary-looking boxes on the shelf. Policy. People. Progress. #Subodh #LearningEveryday #FatherDaughterMoments #LifeLessons #PlayToLearn #Curiosity #MindAndDexterity #SimpleJoys #TeaStories #Jenga