Talk the walk

Delhi’s walking tour and heritage trail groups are a robust community that is on the ball with continuous and innovative attractions. Our counterparts in the city could do well to pick a few relevant lessons from them

It was a moment that this columnist will forever be grateful for. Many moons ago, while in Delhi for a winter wedding, the girl’s shaadi party—of which yours truly was a part—had a few days to chill. I had the opportunity to join a heritage walk that covered Rajpath, India Gate, Rashtrapati Bhavan and its surrounding landmarks, which until then I had watched as compressed, pint-sized versions on our television set. I soaked in the enormity of these sites; the well-informed guide rattled off information, with the right dose of anecdotes and episodic chronicling. It was my first heritage walk in another Indian city.

The experience left an impression in those pre-social media days. From its well-thought-out halts to the furious note-taking by academics in the group, to trigger-happy folks clicking away on their Minolta cameras, even carrying extra film rolls, as back-up, it was a fascinating time capsule. The group leader, a PhD in history, knew her stuff inside out, going by the nods from my walking companions; many were Dilliwallahs who praised her later, as we sipped on Sulaimani chai at a roadside tapri. It was a blissful morning with two of my favourites—history and chai.

Years later, as I began to negotiate the multi-layered challenges in the maze-filled world of urban, local heritage, I was, quite naturally, curious about how heritage walks were planned and became a regular on recommended trails. It was in its nascent phase, with a few spirited, enterprising individuals being the torchbearers. By then, I had written a book on heritage walks within the city after countless tried-and-tested routes. I realised the rigour involved from conceptualisation to execution, and my respect for that woman guide in Delhi grew even more.

My love affair with heritage walks and interest in new routes continues to be on my radar to this day. Over decades, groups have emerged within the city, staking their claim to offer the real deal. More recently, a newer being—the social media historian. Part-trivia, part-masala, the reel is the new ticket to learning history, it seems. But we are digressing.

Cut to a more recent development. a hunch about the redrawing of the city’s geographical lines, especially around the Kartavya Path, led me to retrace my steps to that buzzing community in Delhi. It’s been less than a year since the famous walkway was introduced to the public and yet most groups have already charted routes to celebrate this revised map. While some worked around the limitations that have emerged due to limited access to public landmarks like that Rashtrapati Bhavan, others have introduced bicycle trails to cover more ground. In the course of my chat with these founders, it became clear that there was enough going on to celebrate the newer parts of New Delhi and also remind people of the nostalgia that decorates Purani Dilli.

One of my favourite takeaways was a group that was started by a bright woman who is an academic. Her entire team is female, from the admin head to the tour leaders. They organise night walks for groups, including women-only participants who felt comfortable and safe to explore their city in such groups after dark. “This would otherwise not be possible for them to do,” the founder told me. It was a liberating and empowering tool. In another trail, the walk focused only on women architects who designed sites; I also learnt about a bicycle trail that circled the wide outer roads near the main landmarks of New Delhi for a quieter vibe.

Delhi also had a month-long walks festival in October that was organised by the oldest walking tour group. Some groups were looking forward to adding a gallery visit since several cultural organisations were being relocated along the Kartavya Path, as part of the larger route. 

Instead of standing outside landmarks and sites, which is a common part of trails here, these groups are offering participants full access to immerse themselves in the space. Barring the BMC headquarters and a gallery within CSMT, few key landmarks are accessible to enthusiasts. Then, there is the hesitation to explore the suburbs beyond the Bandra trail. Both are huge misses.

After my research for this story, I must admit that the Delhi vs Mumbai debate in this subject has a clear winner. There are lessons to be learnt.

For a city that boasts of the best brains and a thriving entrepreneurial spirit to think out of the box, surely we can do better to showcase our history and heritage.

mid-day’s Features Editor Fiona Fernandez relishes the city’s sights, sounds, smells and stones...wherever the ink and the inclination takes her. She tweets @bombayana
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