Delhi-ghtful trails

With more and more people opting for air-conditioned living, family outings have become synonymous with mall-hopping, junk eating and travelling in luxurious cars. Basking in the sun, walking, breathing fresh air in the lap of nature seems like a distant dream for today’s urban dwellers. But that does not mean that the city is just made of concrete spaces. Delhi, I Love You and Delhi Dallying brings to you a week-long festival called “Delhi Walk Festival” that celebrates Delhi through 80 walking tours offering experiences like paranormal activity, street life exploration, performative walks, food and much more.

In its first edition, the festival will bring together over 30 different walk specialists like Sadia Dehlvi, Sohail Hashmi, Manoj Misra, INTACH, Swechha and Salaam Balak Trust to conduct tours through different city neighbourhoods. Organised by Delhi, I Love You and curated by Delhi Dallying, the participants can choose walks from categories like nature, heritage, food, alternative and experimental, art and photography, and architecture and design. “The idea is to push people to explore the city on foot,” states Aastha Chauhan, director, Delhi, I Love You.

She adds, “We also intend to introduce the idea of walking and thus bringing awareness about pollution. We have handpicked guided walking tours that reveal the incredible layers that our city has to offer. There hasn’t been a more exciting time in the city — for disruption, for rethinking, for conversation. The Delhi Walk Festival is an opportunity to acknowledge all the exciting work that has been happening in the realm of urban exploration. The idea is to also bring people together and make room for conversation about improving the culture of walking and its larger implications on pollution and mobility.”

With an aim to bring about a cultural and social movement that promotes and connects people and their city better, the festival tries to present the capital in a new light for the participants. Astha shares, “We began conceiving this edition with three magnet points but the walks turned out to be over 80.”

From secrets of old Delhi to visiting zoos and exploring the monuments around Lodhi Colony, the festival promises to show you a little more than you already know of the city along with some hidden treasures like a night walk at Sanjay Van and paranormal activity in Mehrauli. There is something of interest for everyone. Aastha says, “The walk at Sanjay Van is led by Kush Sethi who initiated ‘What’s happening in Sanjay Van ’ together with me. The aim is to make the participants experience Sanjay Van through sound, smell and sight in the light of a full moon. The walk begins at Qutub Institutional Area, snaking through one corner of the forest as the trail takes you to the bird-watching tower close to the JNU exit. It is a silent walk wherein we have asked the participants not to carry torches, cameras and mobiles so that we do not disrupt the natural habitat of the birds and animals there.”

The walk titled ‘Mehrauli And You’, co-hosted by Reclaim the Night, will make you explore Delhi at night. The walk will begin from Ojas Art Gallery and go to the magnificent Qutub Minar, slowly following the walls surrounding it for an atmospheric walking trail. The festival also includes some offbeat areas — the ‘Salaam City Walk’ offers a guided tour around New Delhi Railway Station and Paharganj areas during which former street children will share their personal stories of survival with the participants. Another interesting walk, ‘Saari, Kinaari, Bazaari: Festive saris and kinaris of Chandni Chowk’ will feature the shimmering spectacle of Chandni Chowk, a popular destination for bridal shopping in the city. On this trail, one can wander into Kinari bazaar, the wholesale market for fabric trimmings where any sari can be accessorised with the relevant trim. The event, supported by Delhi government, has already received tremendous response, shares Astha. “We are thrilled by the response we have got so far. The bookings for some of the walks are already full. With this edition, we explore old Delhi, New Delhi and neighbourhoods around Qutub Minar, but we know that there is still more ground to cover. Going forward, we aim to make this a yearly festival,” she concludes.