As the pandemic upended the very idea of travel, enthusiasts restructured their holiday plans. Instead, people began to rediscover their city with staycations, picnics in public parks, and any excuse to embrace the great outdoors after months of lockdown was welcome.
Over a year has passed since guided walking city tours became popular. Now, these group tours which cost ₹150 (per person) are shifting their focus from the more popular heritage sites, to the re-discovery of spots that are often seen but rarely receive the respect they deserve. In Chennai, have you noticed that the General Post Office’s roof resembles that of palaces in Kerala? In Hyderabad, people are going beyond the touristy parts of Golconda Fort, exploring its different gates and the moat, which many locals don’t know exist. In Kolkata, a tour could take you to the oldest bookstore in the country or Kumartuli, the potter colony.
Information on many of these places may not be available in most history books or with tour guides, which is what makes these walks a great way to learn more about the architecture, culture and history of the city you call home. Explaining how these walks are very different from the stereotypical tour guides’ itineraries, Yunus Lasania (@Thathyderabadiboy on Instagram) who conducts heritage, food and rock walks in Hyderabad, says, “To begin with, we don’t give the usual brochure-driven information, nor do we do the usual touristy spots. I pick places that have interesting names like Parsi colony or PNT colony etc. Then go on to dissect the reason for the name and the history behind it”
Aafreen Fathima SK, a student of Architecture from Chennai (goes by @98 on Instagram), conducted her first walk at Royapuram in North Chennai in 2018. She says, “When I say I am from Royapuram, I get ‘the ghetto girl’ treatment. So I took my friends around the place; its history is overlooked because of the way it is portrayed in movies.” Many popular films have portrayed Royapuram as a hotspot for anti-social activities. She decided to share her knowledge of the heritage architecture like the oldest Railway Station in Chennai, St Peter’s Church, the Parsi Fire Temple, and Kalmandapam in Royapuram through walks. “After visiting Royapuram, their misconception was cleared,” she says.
Aafreen was pleased when attendance for the walks increased, proof that people want to know more about different parts of their city. As lockdown restrictions eased, locals on her tours are being joined by visitors from the southern states and the occasional tourist from abroad. “Sometimes I also collaborate with the Anna Nagar social history group Nam Veedu Nam Oor Nam Kadhai for walks in Chennai, especially when the numbers are huge.”
The Town Hall
In cities like Coimbatore, there is a growing interest to know more about its history and people. “The city is evolving as a metropolis,” says city chronicler Rajesh Govindarajulu who takes people on curated walks through the Town Hall circuit, one of the oldest parts of Coimbatore. The Kongu region had a brisk trade with the Romans. The name of the Kottaimedu neighbourhoodcomes from a Vijayanagara era fort, which was visited by Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan. Eventually it was pulled down in 1973, after the Third Mysore War. Before the Europeans took over, Coimbatore was ruled either directly or indirectly by all the major dynasties in this part of the world, including the Cholas, Cheras, Pandyas, Pallavas and the Gangas of Thalakkad in Karnataka who reported to the Rastrakutas.
Rajesh packs the walk with historically documented information as well as anecdotes — Mahatma Gandhi visited the home of one of the area’s oldest inhabitants, the Korangu Seth family just round the corner, the Congress Party functioned out of a rice mandi that belonged to G Kuppusamy Naidu, who founded the textile major, Lakshmi Mills. The walk covers the revered Attar Jamath Mosque, an akhara where wrestlers of the Jatti community trained and once provided security to the city, historic residence of freedom fighter /advocate Sivakavimani CK Subramania Mudaliar (1878-1961), who wrote a treatise on the Periapuranam, old convents and churches like St Michael’s. They also make stops at Kanthan Pani Puri, one of the oldest chaat outlets in the city run by a 75-year-old, the Vasavi Kanhika Parameswari Sweet Stall, a push-cart that sells a unique melon seed mysurpa, Balaaji & Co Bakers for coconut buns and rolls, Durghalal Pickles for gulkhand and obattu, adirasam, mini jamuns and crisp mocha fry snack from a shop in one of the narrow by-lanes of Town Hall.
Fresh look
There are also food walks, photo walks, rock walks and ghost walks, all aimed at offering participants a fun element to their travel logs. Most food walks happen at night, unless it is a breakfast walk; city walks happen in the early mornings, when roads are clear of traffic. Since most of the walks are over two hours long and conducted by history and heritage enthusiasts, the information gathered is in-depth and not textbook style.
Gurpreet Singh, a teacher working in Ahmedabad, travelled to Hyderabad for a heritage walk in January 2022. Her idea of stepping out to travel once travel restrictions were eased was to explore a city that had a lot more to offer than malls, brands and high-rise buildings. She says, “When I searched on things to do in Hyderabad, I read about the walks. I planned my travel dates to coincide with a walk. The walk was pretty interesting with stories shared, myths and facts discussed and had a very friendly group. I’d recommend such walks for people who love to do ordinary things and still go back enriched with stories and experiences.”
Beyond the obvious
Sohum Chakravarthi of Calcutta Capsule started his walks to introduce guests at his parents’ AirBnB to his favourite parts of the city. Having lived away from Kolkata while doing his Engineering, Sohum wanted to share his favourite hangouts and experiences with visitors. So, after months of planning, he chalked out three different options — Magic Hour, Alleyway Food and Calcutta Contrast. “Magic Hour walk focusses on taking all modes of transport (except air) to discover Kolkata city. This walk begins in old Calcutta before sunrise and the street lights are off in the morning,” he says, adding, “People are looking at ‘real experiences’ and not just as tourists.” He is particularly happy when young travellers choose Calcutta Contrast, a walk on the theme of Satyajit Ray’s Jana Aranya (1976).
Shilpa Alay Nainani, a freelance emcee from Hyderabad who walked with Sohum, says she came back with a sense of belonging to the City of Joy. Shilpa says, “These days every city has most of the same lifestyle brands, but I wanted to experience what was unique to Kolkata. I found the activities very leisurely and informative. It gives an apna wala feeling”
If Sohum’s walks are made for ‘experience’, Yunus Lasania’s walks in Hyderabad are about discovering unseen corners, forts, gates at Golconda, knowing a little more about the Old City with a walk around Charminar before the traffic takes over and getting to know the Qutb Shahi tombs up close.
According to Yunus, the lockdown and time at home gave people time to look at things that they missed; regular activities like drinking a cup of tea at a tea stall or a tourist eating local food at non-fancy places. “It is also about taking a leisurely look at everyday buildings and streets. Things like how and why a lane is named such, or why a particular (eg: pineapple) carving finds a place in a historical monument.”
These walks sometimes end up with a hearty Hyderabadi breakfast of khichdi-khatta and keema, or paya with char-koni naan or just Irani chai with Osmania biscuits or puffs. Abhinaya Sivagnanam from Chennai, who lives in Hyderabad and works with a start-up, says she started to fall in love with the city’s history after attending Yunus’s walks over several weekends. She says, “I started with one and saw myself returning when a walk was announced. The walks are not information-heavy, but not frivolous either. What I love the most is meeting like-minded people and looking at and taking photos of places that no travel guide offers.”
She says the discussions that follow right after the walk “actually lead to a very informal way of learning.”
In Jaipur, Puneet Yadav only focusses on the less popular spots, clubbing them with photography walks. As a result, he has young newcomers each time a walk is announced, and sometimes he even finds himself designing tailor-made trails for people who want to do something out of the ordinary.
Puneet says, “It is all about exclusivity. Everyone wants to do and see things that are not commonly done, like visiting popular palaces and temples in Jaipur. When I get tourists from Punjab, Agra, Delhi, the only demand they have is ‘ alag sa’ (something different). Those in the 25-40 years age group don’t mind spending more to discover and experience. So I have an itinerary that includes places like Ghetaur Chatri, Amer Chatri and a few old temples.”
Walks and visits like these are not to be confused with educational tours. As Sohum says, “It is about getting an experience of the local culture and street life, without burdening anyone with information.”
(With inputs from K Jeshi)
