A Walk-On Part In History

• Night Walk, by House of MG, Ahmedabad: From the havelis of the old city to the food court at Manek Chowk
• Confluence of Cultures, by Calcutta Walks: Traces the footsteps of Armenian, Jew, Buddhist, Chinese, Parsi, Jain and Muslim settlers and how they merged into the city. There’s also a Durga Walk, through Kumartulli, where artisans craft idols.
• Market Walk, by Royal Mysore Walks: Takes you to old photo studios, the wedding cards hub, the kite and spice bazaars
• Sufi Walk, by Delhi Metro Walks: Follow the Phoolwalon ki sair trail in Mehrauli or track Nizamuddin basti. The package including the screening of a film on Sufism.
• Ramzan Walk, by Delhi Heritage Walks: Sample street food in old Delhi and catch the mood of the Muslim holy month
• Kala Ghoda Trail, by Bombay Heritage Walks: Takes you past the Art Deco buildings of the ’30s
• Moms & Kids Walks, by Delhi Metro Walks: Red Fort and Lodhi Gardens. There are quizzes to answer, puzzle sheets to fill in.
• Tree Walk, by Pune Heritage Walks: This monsoon favourite takes you through the city's forested areas and parks

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It’s the morning after the World Cup win and the young Sachins and Dhonis of Mehrauli village, Delhi, are out playing with gusto on their makeshift cricket pitch—the grounds of the 15th century Jahaz Mahal, abandoned enough to turn into a playground, majestic enough to tempt the occasional heritage-seeker into stopping by. Such as our group of 15 Delhiites and expats, out on a Sufi heritage walking trail led by heritage lover Surekha Narain, who pulls out old maps and photographs to explain things as she rattles off interesting facts about this Lodhi-era palace. Our treasure hunt continues, and we reach Hijron ka Khanqah, the whitewashed tombs of medieval eunuchs, tucked away in a quaint courtyard along the bustling Mehrauli bazaar. And then we wind up at the nerve centre of Mehrauli village: the shrine of Sufi saint Bakhtiyar Kaki, where under the shade of a sprawling tree, qawwalis fills the air—on special request.

These are a few of the many heritage trails that are increasingly luring not just tourists but also well-heeled urban Indians—executives, families and students—all willing to let go of a Sunday at the mall for something more rooted, more edifying, and often, also adventurous.

For the ‘Confluence of Cultures’ walking tour offered by Calcutta Walks, for example, the brochure warns: “Not for the weak of heart.” Indeed, this three-hour walk, which winds through Buddhist monasteries, Christian churches, Armenian cemeteries and Parsi agiaries (or fire temples), also takes you through the shady, grimy back lanes of the city, which can churn the stomach of even the most squalour-immune.

Ajit Sukhija of Goa Heritage Walks looks at the newfound interest this way: “People are now realising that any place is best discovered on foot and they like to catch glimpses of history and culture in flesh and blood rather than stay locked up in a museum.” Foodie and travel enthusiast Fatima Pais echoes the sentiment. This executive from Delhi spends her weekends trying different heritage trails in the city; it was a Chandni Chowk ‘street-food walk’ last week, and a Sufi trail in Mehrauli one weekend. Ditto for fellow Delhiite Divya Joshi, a former air force officer, who is all for group walks, which she reasons are safer for women while exploring the back lanes for hidden-away heritage gems. “I like the curiosity heritage trails incite. It has me surfing the internet later to read more about what I have seen,” she says.

Pol Position A walk through the pols (old-city lanes) of Ahmedabad. (Photograph by Siddharaj)

For Nidhi Dugar, who moved to Calcutta from Hyderabad two months ago, after marriage, walking trails became a fun way to get acquainted with a new place. “‘You’re getting married to a guy in Calcutta? Oh no!’ is what all my friends had to say. I wish I could recommend a session with Calcutta Walks to each one of them. The walking tour took me from Bow Barracks to Burra Bazaar and opened my eyes to how this city is a heady concoction of cultures and lives,” she says.

In western countries, heritage trails have for long been an established way of getting to know a city. However, in India, they have been perceived as the preserve of architects and historians, too boring and clubby for the masses. It’s a perception that seems to be changing, and regular walkers like Divya Joshi are amazed to see the number of Indians willing to experiment. “Perhaps it’s because they see foreigners taking so much interest and become curious themselves,” she says. So much so that Abha Behl, co-founder of Bombay Heritage Walks, says more than 60 per cent of the clients are from Mumbai itself. “Last week, I got a call from a young girl who was getting married and wanted me to organise a walk for her guests,” says Surekha Narain of Delhi Metro Walks, who offers 25 walking tours in the capital.

Another reason for the trails to be catching on is that ‘heritage’ and ‘heritage walks’ are turning into buzzwords. “Heritage walks are like Kishore Kumar, always in vogue. But now, even more so, since this generation is waking up to the value of vintage,” says Nirav Panchal, who leads walking trails in Ahmedabad. Even a city like Bangalore, which admittedly suffers on the tourist map for a lack of monuments, is abuzz with walking tours. For instance, the team at Bangalore Walks has hit upon unconventional routes that are increasingly popular with locals, techies and managers from the information technology sector and foreign tourists alike. “The general feeling visitors have about Bangalore is that there’s nothing to do here! But we create walks around ancient temples, traditional neighbourhoods and little known corners on M.G. Road. The idea is to surprise, and let the walk unfold like a suspense novel,” explains Arun Pai.

Through Chinatown: Tourists interact with a shop-owner in Tiretti Bazaar, Calcutta. (Photograph by Sandipan Chatterjee)

Indeed, it is novel packaging, backed by competitive pricing (Rs 100-1,500 for a three-hour walk) and a new league of heritage entrepreneurs, who generally prefer not to be called “tour guides”, that seems to work like a hit formula. Sumit Vashishta of Shimla, who’s booked 20 days of the month, has also cracked the code for making walks interesting. “Heritage is in demand, and adding incentives such as a lavish lunch at a premier hotel and a cultural evening adds the finishing touch,” he says. His most popular walking tour begins at Christ Church and ends at the beautiful colonial building of the Indian Institute of Advanced Study, which, he never fails to mention to his audience, was the building where the Partition was first discussed. The five-member Calcutta Walks team—they prefer that participants call them ‘Explorers’—even offers cooking lessons and bird-watching as part of their tours.

Social media networks such as Facebook and Tripadvisor have no doubt helped in spreading the word. Arun and his team, who call themselves “pop historians”, says, “The aim is to make heritage walks like any other consumer product, easily available to everyone, yet price it at a premium (Rs 500), which was to match the Gold Class movie ticket when we started out five years ago.” Heritage walks have since then been integrated into IIM Bangalore’s international programme. Bangalore Walks now has over 70 corporate clients, including Infosys, Google and HP.

Most of all, these new-age guides and walkers say, it’s the mystery that such trails offer that appeals to the imagination. As Katrin Bannach, a German expat based in Delhi, puts it, “I love the little secrets of the city you discover on these walks, the kind you won’t even find in books.” On the other side of the fence, discovering these heritage trails, says an enthusiastic Vinay Parameswarappa, who gave up a software job to start Royal Mysore Walks in his hometown, it’s “a bit like playing detective”. Join the fun.

By Neha Bhatt with Dola Mitra in Calcutta