Promote urban exploration and discover hidden Delhi in 'Walk Festival'

The second edition of Delhi Walk Festival with an aim to promote urban exploration and discover ‘hidden Delhi’ is planned from November 19 to December 4.

This festival aims to promote urban exploration and discover ‘hidden Delhi’, the Walk Festival will witness a heady mix of history, environment, art, music and culture.

The 16-day art and culture extravaganza is being organized by ‘Delhi I Love You’- a social cultural movement with the support of the Delhi government and will include 200 walk events capturing the real essence of Delhi.

The heritage walks during the festival promise to explore some unpopular monuments behind the bustling streets of the capital city.

“For heritage walk, the usual suspects in the list include Mehrauli, Qutub area, Chandni Chowk and Tuglakabad, but this year we are also including hidden monuments which people are not aware of.

“For instance, a short walk from Select City will lead one to ‘Khidki Masjid’, which is one of the most spectacular and only monuments to have access to terrace,” says Astha Chauhan, director of Delhi I Love.

Delhi metro walks along with bird watching at Okhla bird Sanctuary serves as part of the itinerary.

“Other than the conflict and chaos the beauty of Delhi is in its food, architecture and the mix of cultures. How will you discover these magics? It can happen with these walks, where people can explore the areas which fail to catch the sight of public,” Chauhan says.

The festival will take up social initiatives by organising ‘blind walks’ and also sensitizing people about LGBT rights.

“This year the festival coincides with the World Disability Day and Delhi Queer Pride Parade, so we are trying to club these ideas and causes that we support.

“We will organize a walk which will be led by a blind person. The participants will be blind-folded, so they experience the problems being faced by visually-challenged while walking on a busy road,” Chauhan says.

During the festival, the participants will get a chance to join renowned journalist Ravish Kumar, writer and historian William Dalrymple, Gursimran Khamba co-founder of comedy group AIB for special walks.

The festival is also bringing street magicians to elevate the idea of a rich holistic experience for people during walks.

While highlighting the importance of heritage walks, Delhi Tourism minister Kapil Mishra said, “Walking remains one of the healthiest options for commuting as well as exploring the city rich in heritage, nature, art and culture. We aim to make this a bi-annual event and support the idea of urban exploration on foot”