Trail delves deep into alleys of Royapettah

CHENNAI: Nowadays, Chennaiites are exposed to numerous references about the history of the city and the iconic landmarks. This has now resulted in a large number of individuals and organisations coming up with innovative initiatives to give snippets about history in interesting ways.

To take the present day people of Chennai on a historic tour, Madras Inherited is organising a heritage walk focusing on the lesser-known history of Royapettah. Titled, Discover The Alleys Of Royapettah, the walk is led by Ashmitha Athreya, heritage enthusiast and architect, also head of operations at Madras Inherited.

Giving us more insights into the walk, Ashmitha says, “It gives an opportunity for the participants to discover the history of this charming settlement, with its houses built in comprehensive architectural styles. We mainly focus on Wesley School, and Wesley Church, covering a few old streets and discussing more about the communities. The walk will end near Birdman in Chennai’s house.” She feels that the history of the neighbourhood is vast from the colonial-era churches to the abode of Prince of Arcot.

The walk is open to participants from all age caategories. “The intention of all our heritage walks is to cover different areas and continue the journey of digging more about the nook and corner of the city,” Ashmitha tells DT Next. She also adds that their larger goal is to inspire the participants to share the knowledge gaianed with others.

As many avenues are emerging in the city to help people know more about their own city, neighbourhood, culture, tradition, and heritage, there is a steep rise in demand for such walks. “It is exciting to witness many youngsters participating in our initiatives. This is a platform where a 70-year-old meets a 19-year-old with the same amount of passion to delve deep into history. To be honest, there is more to Chennai than it offers,” she remarks. Apart from this, many foreigners also actively participate in the walks.

World Heritage Week is starting from November 19 and the city is gearing up for a wide range of similar trails. “We are conducting a heritage walk at Triplicane as a part of Goa Heritage Action Group’s initiative. It is nice to see initiatives like this that offer a range of options for people to choose from as not everyone will be interested in history, but wants to know just about a particular settlement, architecture, or building,” Ashmitha explains.

Discover The Alleys Of Royapettah walk takes place on November 18 from 6.30 am. For more details, visit the official Instagram page of Madras Inherited.