Pratik Hira’s Tornos India was born in 1994 out of an increasing demand for experiential travel, as travellers and even city-dwellers sought to know more than just the area of a monument, height of a minaret or the name of the emperor who built it—the details of which are readily available on the Internet.
“Tour operators have had to add value to the tours they offer; otherwise, signages, brochures and Google are enough to guide tourists through,” says Hira, head of the Lucknow-based experiential tour company specialising in a variety of genres like cuisine, history, crafts and heritage.
This is giving rise to a new tribe of discerning travellers who are looking for relatable stories, cultural insights or hidden gems, otherwise known only to locals or researchers. As such, “instead of deputing tourist guides, we research stories and make tours interesting through tour managers and walk leaders”, adds Hira.
From home-dining with the ‘king’ in his Kotwara estate in Kaiserbagh, Lucknow, to taking a closer look of the alleys of south Mumbai and its building architecture and streetscapes, guided walking tours allow participants with specific interests to explore or rediscover urban landscapes. This, in turn, is crafting a successful business for domain experts, researchers and travel enthusiasts alike.
These themed walking tours are not only acting as an eye-opener for participants but also giving them a sense of belonging. “People now favour immersive experiences over traditional sightseeing. Themed and niche tours focusing on aspects like culinary delights, storytelling and cultural nuances are on the rise, offering a more tailored exploration. There’s a growing emphasis on sustainable and responsible tourism, reflecting increased awareness,” says Sachin Bansal, chief explorer of City Explorers, a destination branding company that has become synonymous with walks and experiences.
City Explorers has several brands such as India City Walks, Storytellers of India, India Heritage Walks and Delhi Walks.
A call for art
If you want to explore Delhi, you cannot miss the capital city’s vibrant art scene. And to do just that, you can participate in the curated walks organised by St+Art India Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation that works on art projects in public spaces. The exquisite tours revolve around the beautification of the ‘Art District’ in Delhi’s Lodhi Colony and its surrounding areas developed by the foundation.
On offer are the fascinating ideologies of 50 Indian and international artists, who have painted the walls of the buildings and created larger-than-life masterpieces. Each of the themes in the murals tells a story.
Singaporean artist Yip Yew Chong, for instance, is known for replicating everyday scenes onto the street, thus relating to wide-ranging people and contexts. Similarly, Shilo Shiv Suleman’s work talks about the hidden lives of generations of trafficked women.
In the same vein, Delhi-based India City Walks organises art walks called ‘Artathon’ throughout the year to showcase art, graffiti and artist interactions besides walk events for budding artists. The idea is to connect artist communities with travellers and focus on art and architecture for specific artistic periods or genres to know the destination differently.
Meanwhile, in Mumbai, you can participate in walking itineraries that revolve around the Keneseth Eliyahoo Synagogue (the Blue Synagogue), the Horniman Circle, the KR Cama Institute and the David Sassoon Library, through which you can learn about art and urban spaces. In this regard, Art & Wonderment, run by museums and heritage learning professional Alisha Sadikot and art educator Nishita Zachariah, conducts regular tours of art galleries, museums and other heritage walks. They have broadened art conversations in Mumbai with walks around the Sassoon Dock Art Project, Colaba, an urban art project and an active fishing dock where one can catch some of Mumbai’s best public artworks.
Looking back, moving on
In the book 14 Historic Walks of Delhi, author-historian Swapna Liddle writes about the historic sites of the national capital, as she sketches a vivid picture of kingdoms and empires through historic buildings, gardens and settlements. From the World Heritage Sites of Qutub Minar complex, Humayun’s Tomb and Red Fort to Mehrauli village, the author writes about walking routes dotted with history. From significant architectural and decorative figures, and the concepts and techniques behind them, Liddle also gives detailed information on tickets, Metro stations, parking, and the best walking gear.
Similarly, experiential walk planners like India City Walks plan heritage walks and a range of exceptional experiences including food walks, heritage walks, photography walks and customised tours. Led by experts with unique insights into the city’s history, culture and traditions, the company organises walks around Safdarjung Tomb, Humayun’s Tomb, Shahjahanabad (Old Delhi), Nizamuddin, the ruins of Mehrauli, Red Fort and other architectural wonders with captivating stories, bringing the city’s history to life.
For instance, the walk in the Humayun’s tomb complex takes participants through 30 acres of the garden surrounding it, built under the patronage of Humayun’s wife Hamida Banu Begum and Mughal emperor Akbar to commemorate his father, emperor Humayun.
Many heritage walks are built around artifacts, landscapes and streetscapes to offer a vivid analysis of structures, monuments and installations. For instance, the ‘Tour of the Uprising of 1857’ takes participants back to the siege of Lucknow in 1857. A culinary walk gives an authentic street food experience to tourists.
“The Uprising tour is very popular with British tourists as it takes them back to the days of the revolution. A similar set of tours is offered in Kanpur and Delhi. We explore the Kaiserbagh Palace Complex, reconstruct the area with the help of old pictures and maps and, as a cherry on the cake, we treat walkers over a cup of tea at the Kotwara House, which is a small part of Kaiserbagh, now an abode of filmmaker Muzaffar Ali. One can peep inside an intact portion of the palace to watch a clip from his classic film, Umrao Jaan, which was inspired by the culture of Lucknow and was extensively shot in Kaiserbagh,” says Hira.
This is followed by a walk at the beautiful complex brought to ruins after the British captured Lucknow in the mid-19th century. “Kaiserbagh Palace is one of the most well-planned works of grandeur by Wajid-Ali-Shah, the last ruler of Awadh, also a great connoisseur of art,” adds Lucknow-based Hira, whose knowledge-based tours range from Rs 2,500 to Rs 4,000 per person. Some tours, such as the Tour of the Uprising of 1857, can go a bit higher from Rs 8,000 to Rs 10,000 per person.
The menu is specially curated at Kotwara House, owned by Muzzaffar Ali and his architect-wife Meera Ali, and the experience of food prepared by their family cooks is just apt for diners visiting the city.
Road to spirituality
Varanasi is another hub for heritage walks, boat rides and yoga excursions, besides cultural and spiritual tours. Most of these walks are undertaken on the galis of Varanasi, temples or the riverside, but some can also be themed on local personalities like Bharatendu Harish Chandra, Tulsidas, Rani Bhavani of Natore, or artisans like weavers, toymakers or thatheras. Food walks that let participants rediscover the Banarasi kachori, malaiyyo (makhan malai, a sweet snack made from milk cream) or bati chokha are also a must do.
Jeremy ‘Jai’ Oltmann, director of Varanasi-based Indoverse Experiences & Tours, collaborates with varanasiwalks.com and banarasyoga.com for conducting walks. Besides the ones in the northern bazaars and hidden alleys, the ‘Divine Devi Sacred Goddess’ is a popular walk introduced in 2018 for women travellers. Similarly, the ‘Death & Rebirth in Banaras’ also finds takers among visitors.
The concept of such walks was started in 2002 by Oltmann when, as a traveller, he wanted to find out more about the house belonging to the father of Hindi literature, Bharatendu Harish Chandra Chaudary, located in Varanasi. “Unfortunately, the tourism department in the city couldn’t tell me much, as they only provided walks from exiting a boat in Manikarnika to Kashi Vishwanath and then to the car in Godowlia for a city tour. Those were early days before reliable Internet, Google Maps and smartphones made their presence felt, and so it was more difficult to find information. So, I decided to create walks based on interviews with pandits, boatmen, chaiwallahs and other locals. The old idea of a site visit is still worthwhile but it’s exciting to walk around and try a Banarasi paan, listen to a bhajan in a temple, receive a tika or tilak from a local priest and hear an artiste, see a kathak dancer or tabla player and describe their work and life,” says Oltmann, who hails from Minneapolis, US, and came to India as a social worker.
After working among marginalised communities in Delhi, Oltmann got acquainted with the widows and children’s homes in Varanasi and in 2001 decided to stay back in the city.
The prices of his walks vary but a 2.5-3-hour walk can cost around Rs 2,000 per person. “There seems to be a growing obsession with the strange rituals of the Aghori, the cremation grounds and tantra,” says Oltmann.
Tornos India also curates walks like ‘Death & Beyond in Varanasi’ that takes one to understand death and all the rituals from the time of cremation, through the mourning and finally ending the 13-day mourning period and, even thereafter, the annual ritual performed in the memory of the dead. The ‘Mokshdayni walk’ in Ayodhya, which starts from Kanchan Bhawan, is based on the concept of life by the side of the river Saryu and religious interpretations that make each home, ghat and temple unique. Be it the Jhumki Ghat named after a saint, who is said to be a devout worshiper of Sita, or Sahast Dhara that till date holds the distinction of taking away the life of a wrong doer who swears by the river Saryu in his own defence, these tours give an experience that otherwise is not possible.
Meanwhile, for the past 12 years, Delhi By Foot (DBF) has been organising about 45-46 weekend walks every year and over 140 walks on specially curated requests from educational institutions, corporates and travellers. With approximately 1,250-1,350 participants who join annually and with close to 1,500 student-engagements by co-founder Ramit Mitra, the cultural experiences vary from a day-long walk to multi-day programmes in cities such as Jaipur, Agra, Jodhpur, Varanasi, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Gwalior and Bhopal.
Some of the much-talked walks by DBF include the Holi festival celebration in Vrindavan and Barsana, the Hola Mohalla festival of Anandpur Sahib in Punjab, Holi festival in Shantiniketan, singing and dancing to the tunes of Rabindra Sangeet and the Durga Puja experience in Kolkata and Ramzan festivities and feasts in Lucknow and Hyderabad. Besides these, Durga puja idol making, the ‘Revolt of 1857’ walk in Meerut and Delhi, women power in Delhi and visits to lesser explored forts like Tughlaqabad Fort/ Lal Kot Fort or themes like the dying art forms of calligraphy, blue pottery or Ravan making before Dussehra in Delhi are also quite popular.
“Such experiential expeditions help the people to gain a set of wholesome lived-experiences where culture, music and dance, art, foods, textiles and weaves, and history combine to give that unique flavour. People come together as strangers, but go back as lifelong friends making their own memories,” says Mitra.
Meanwhile, if you are in the ‘City of Pearls’, Hyderabad, you can take a walk near the Charminar to get a glimpse of the city’s history, from the Qutub Shahi dynasty to the Nizam’s rule, and the thriving bazaar offering zardozi embroidery crafts and lac bangles. You can also visit Chowmahalla Palace, the palace of the Nizams of Hyderabad. Such walks undertaken by companies such as 5 Senses Tours in Hyderabad trace the last four centuries when Hyderabad was founded by the Qutub Shahi kings, the lifestyle of the Nizam, the world’s richest person in the early 20th century, or the tale of Hyderabad under the Qutub Shahi and Nizam reign and a walk past the bangles and pearls bazaar.
Menu in motion
Food is a huge crowd-puller for walk tour enthusiasts. Estimates suggest over 80% of tourists research food places before they travel to a destination, while 60% travel to places that offer good food or have a unique local cuisine. Experimenting with local food is a big attraction and food is a great influencer for travel.
Tornos India offers private cooking sessions at Coquina, an artisanal kitchen, with food made from local produce in small portions. It gives lessons to guests and lets them cook special Awadhi meals under supervision, or learn about food history at the same time, enjoying a hearty meal.
According to Oltmann, food walks are growing in demand for city explorers who visit Varanasi. “They want to know what food is special and different from other places. Foodies search for historical and traditional places in Varanasi such as Ram Bhandar, Lakshmi Chai, Deena Chaat, Jalan’s Dhaba and Vinod Jalpaan. I took Michelin-starred chef Vineet Bhatia around for the TV series Twist of Taste in 2015,” says Oltmann.
Meanwhile, in Delhi, Anubhav Sapra has been showing travellers the city’s authentic cuisines, street food discoveries or global foods with an Indian twist via themed trips through his Delhi Food Walks since 2011. Similarly, Bengaluru by Foot has been conducting heritage, architecture, festival and food walks in and around Bengaluru. Organised by architect Mansoor Ali and Ameen Ahmed, the platform conducts customised tours of Mysore, Srirangapatna and Hampi. “During festivals, we curate special food walks like the Iftar walk in Ramzan or a food walk on Christmas eve. But the top three tours in demand are the vegetarian breakfast walks in Basavanagudi, as people can try unlimited south Indian delicacies and visit a few local monuments too, the Iftar walk and the Bengaluru pettah walk to explore the oldest part of the city that has silk weavers, dyers, ayurvedic massage centres, akhadas, flower market, etc,” says Ahmed, who started these walks a decade ago.
Architecture on track
Did you know that Shakespeare’s face is sculpted on the façade of a building in South Mumbai, or that the architecture of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya incorporates Islamic windows? These are some questions that architecture walks try to explore and define the neighbourhood’s architectural landscape in south Mumbai. Referred to as ‘Walkitectures’ by architect and founder Nikhil Mahashur, these walks were started over five years ago, initially aimed at architectural students. But today, these walks let one rediscover a rich collection of old buildings accompanied by untold stories concealed behind their facades and structures.
Mahashur’s interest in the subject grew as he undertook the restoration and design of several buildings in south Mumbai. The weekly walks explore tiny details on the building facades with its many diverse architectural styles. For instance, the Kala Ghoda precinct gives a glimpse of one of Mumbai’s most historic neighbourhoods, also known in the past as Frere Town. Its streetscape offers an array of eclectic architectural styles, from Gothic, Neoclassical, Indo-Saracenic to Art Deco and more. This walk aims to explore these different styles—from the David Sassoon Library to the Esplanade Mansion, the busy streets of the BSE, Horniman Circle, St Thomas Cathedral and myriad coffee shops and galleries in between. The Flora Fountain is one of the most iconic structures on this route. From the Art Deco of Regal Cinema, the Indo-Saracenic design of the Taj Mahal Hotel to the Neoclassical neighbourhood just behind the Causeway, Colaba promises a trip to colonial history. Walkitecture focuses only on the architectural walking tours in Mumbai, usually combining them with a gourmet coffee.
“A walk to Kemps Corner, an upmarket neighbourhood in south Mumbai and relatively unexplored in terms of architecture, is in demand. A lot of people want to know more about this area. The Pali Village walk is also gaining popularity for its Portuguese inspired architecture and the East Indian community,” says Mahashur, whose tours are priced from Rs 750 onwards.
Storytrails, a Chennai-based company, organises walks across Madurai, Chennai, Mumbai, Puducherry and Thiruvananthapuram around the colourful temples, colonial buildings, bustling markets, spicy south Indian fare, classical music and dance, and silk and jewellery stores. Chennai’s ‘Dance Saga’, for instance, takes one to meet a Bharatanatyam dancer to interpret stories veiled in the subtlety of the dancer’s gestures. On another walk, the ‘Country Trail’, one can spend time in a farmer’s house enjoying village hospitality or learn about organic farming. Similarly, ‘Stories on the Run’ is a jog through a world of exciting people and momentous decisions in Chennai.
In Bengaluru, people can take a tour of Chickpet, popularly known as a shopping paradise, which was also one of the first spots in the city to have a bank as early as 1913. If you are keen on a walk that intersperses bits of history with bouts of food, then Gully Tours, an experiential tour company in Bengaluru, is the one to go for. It organises walks describing the business hubs and food scene at night. From a visit to an almost 150-year-old abandoned mansion (Mohan Building) to the only ‘red church’ on Avenue Road, and how the Maharaja of Mysore gave Bengaluru its first street lamps, the walk offers a feel of the city’s rich culture and history.
Gully Tours also organises ‘Death by Dosa’, a food and history walk, in the oldest neighbourhood of Bengaluru. Participants can visit Chickpet to meet master saree weavers, visit the oldest antique shop in town, and learn more about Bengaluru founder Kempe Gowda’s grand vision for town planning, all while having hot masala dosas on the way. Besides, their Mysore Palace walk is a peek into the lives of the royalty inside the 70-acre property comprising the palace and an adjacent fort in Mysore.
Even photo walk tours have caught the attention of walking enthusiasts. Photographer and Kolkata native Manjit Singh Hoonjan, who runs Calcutta Photo Tours, organises tours like the Culture Kaleidoscope, European Calcutta Tour, and Hooghly’s Flower Fest Tour. These walking tours are not limited to photographers but also for heritage, history and culture buffs.
For instance, Hoonjan’s ‘Flower Fest Tour’ takes participants to one of the largest flower markets of Asia. It is also one of the best places to observe life by the river and see the iconic Howrah bridge. His ‘Goddess Beckons Tour’ takes participants around the potter’s colony that is involved in the making of statues for festivals. Each tour is priced at Rs 2,000 for adults and Rs 1,200 for children below 12 years. Private tours are priced at Rs 4,000 per adult and Rs 2,400 per child below 12 years.
Similarly, Jayanta Guha organises wildlife photography tours and expeditions all over India, providing the photography learning and exploring experiences. From wildlife photography tours through the lush green meadows and dense forests of the Jim Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand, his tours are all about finding the right spots and different compositions to take different frames, observe and photograph the diverse aquatic life and take a closer look at the birds and reptiles.
Meanwhile, the Photowalks India Community in collaboration with Fujifilm India offers mentors with real-world exposure to nurture shutterbugs. The community of photographers handpicks unique locations across Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru and Kolkata offering street and heritage tours for two hours.
