Streets With Stories

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Bus tours in Batala, weaving trails in Palakkad, and storytellers bringing forgotten Kothis and colonial lanes of Barabanki to life – heritage walks are showing the way India rediscovers its smaller cities. By turning to the past to shape civic pride and cultural memory, can walking truly help cities remember who they are? How then does one sustain this momentum amid urban decay, policy gaps, and fading histories?

Source: Goa Handpicked

Heritage tours have recently gained significance in lesser-known cities in India, offering tourists, locals, and the youth the chance to learn about their cultural history. In 2023, Goa Heritage Action Group Walk Fest featured more than 30 guided walks in Mapusa, Bicholim, Panjim, Old Goa, and more.

Led by “passoikars” (fashioned after passoi in Konkani, meaning leisurely walk), these walk curators created awareness about Goa’s natural, cultural, and built heritage.

Established in 1465, Batala – a city in Punjab – has promoted heritage awareness through their weekly Heritage Bus Services, with efforts from civil society and the district administration’s support. InterGlobe Foundation and IndiGoReach, in collaboration, launched heritage walks in Prayagraj, Bhubaneswar, Nashik, Hyderabad, and Indore through their ‘My City, My Heritage’ campaign. Meanwhile, INTACH in Palakkad has curated the Nila Weaving Tour to engage locals in heritage conversations.

Batala Heritage Tour. Source: Punjab News Express

INTACH Heritage Walk: Mangalore Chapter. Source: The Hindu

Individuals like Maroof Umar are also building appreciation for city heritage by curating historical exploration beyond the mainstream, like the Kothis of Barabanki! Dehradun’s Heritage Revivalist Lokesh Ohri’s decade-long initiative, Been There, Doon That means raising awareness about heritage preservation and environmental conservation through community walks.

The Heritage Affected Committee’s heritage walk highlighted the residents’ precarious living conditions around Shan heritage awareness. They advocated for amending the Heritage Preservation Act to extend support to the locals in refurbishing homes.

A study on Bharuch identified inadequate heritage asset management, poor road maintenance, and pollution as major hindrances to heritage walks.

It suggested involving stakeholders, digitising information, and implementing e-ticketing to streamline guided tours and walks. Such efforts are integral to safeguarding the collective memory of old cities and their communities. Heritage walks are an invaluable tool for fostering a deeper connect

ion between people and a city’s historical legacy.

Have you been on a heritage walk in your city?

What challenges have you encountered on such heritage walks?

Here are a few Heritage Walks highlighting lesser-known places!