All walks of life

Through this month, teams of walkers led by guides will venture into cities across India to explore the seen and unseen, tangible and intangible, heritage of their neighbourhoods and cities. During the 100 or so walks of the India Heritage Walk Festival, now in its second edition, walkers in 35 cities—from the metros to Nashik, Shimla, Itanagar and Shillong—will be looking at the diversity of cultures in their cities through prisms like food, heritage, nature, art and architecture.

“The entry point to culture is through experience," says Vaibhav Chauhan, founder member of Sahapedia, which is organizing the festival in collaboration with Unesco. Sahapedia, an online resource for the arts, culture and heritage, conducts walking tours through the year (over 500 of them) and has created a huge network of tours and guides. “The special focus this year is to make the walks inclusive. There are walks for disabled people, such as a walk of the Nehru Children’s Museum in Kolkata for children with special needs, and we are reaching out to those from economically disadvantaged backgrounds," says Chauhan. This will help sensitize host institutions about inclusion as well, he adds. The festival also features informal baithaks and workshops with talks and performances; all events are free. “Walks can play a huge role in urban regeneration by creating greater sensitivity towards heritage and conservation," says Chauhan.

The festival will be on till 24 February. Register on Indiaheritagewalkfestival.com.