Heritage Walk-Leader Training Programme

Over the last two weekends, INTACH, in collaboration with ThisDay, organized a Heritage Walk-Leader Training Programme in Delhi. On a whim, I joined it and found it thoroughly enriching.

The programme was a blend of lectures and on-site walks stressing the Dos and Don’ts of conducting heritage walks. The star-studded lineup of speakers included Swapna Liddle, Sohail Hashmi, Rana Safvi, Chandrasekhar Tampi and Jaya Basera while the walks were led by Gaurav from India Heritage Trails and Ratnendu Ray. The topics covered the Basics of planning a walk, a rapid overview of Delhi’s history, its legends, the Food of Delhi, the influence of the Sufis, and an eye-opening session by Ajay Kumar on the art and ethics of heritage conservation.

My main takeaway was that there is a whole world of difference between being a history buff vs leading a heritage walk around a particular monument or landmark. The latter calls for in-depth research around the subject, the ability to connect seemingly unrelated strands of history and weave them into a fascinating story, and the confidence of putting yourself out there in front of a group who have paid to hear you inform them.

With a reading list in tow, my work for the next few months has been cut out. While I don’t envisage myself leading any walk soon, I intend to tackle the city’s history seriously, read with purpose, participate in walks more frequently and write about it here. Stay tuned!