Abha Behl

Co- founder and organiser, The Bombay Heritage Walks

The initiative

The Kala Ghoda Association (KGA), a non-profit organisation, initiated an Arts Festival in 1999, focussed primarily on energising the historic art district and making every aspect of the Arts accessible to the public. It was during the first festival in February 1999 that we volunteered to lead open-to-public heritage walks (walks were conducted by us for the Kala Ghoda Association, in alliance with R Mehrotra and S Dwivedi to coincide with the release of their book 'FORT WALKS' during the Arts Festival that year).

In the initial years, the Bombay Heritage Walks (BHW) comprised of a team of architects who organised and conducted the heritage walks. People were taken on discovery walks in (what were then) little known heritage precincts all over the city. We covered a variety of locales from Banganga - a holy Hindu pilgrimage centre to Ballard Estate - an early 20th century Edwardian neo-classical business district. It was the very first time that citizens and visitors were invited to explore the city's architecture and exposed to terms like 'Bombay Gothic,' 'Indo-Saracenic' and 'Art Deco.'

BHW allied with a number of organisations to arrange unique heritage walks - Dockyard Walks with the Indian Navy, a Freedom Trail in association with the Mani Bhavan Gandhi Sanghralaya (Gandhi Museum & Research Centre) and many others. In 2004, we were invited by the Asiatic Society of Mumbai to train student volunteers to conduct heritage walks as part of their Bi-Centennial Celebrations which were attended by the then President of India, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam.

Since 2005, the BHW group has grown beyond the original team of architects. BHW now has a team of talented, young presenters who lead the walking tours. Their backgrounds range from architecture, archaeology, ancient Indian culture, art history, literature and the fine arts. We strive to make each walk memorable and maintain a high quality in the presentation.

Through the past decade, the BHW team has tried to create consciousness and sensitivity towards Mumbai's rich architectural legacy and to offer interesting historical and cultural insights into the city. We aim to carry this forward apart from launching other related programs like public exhibitions, lecture series and possibly setting up a 'Heritage Helpline'. As architects, we have always considered this effort as an extension of our profession and something we owe to the city that we have lived and worked in.

The challenges

We introduced many walking tours in different heritage precincts in the city. Establishing any new route involved a lot of leg-work and organisation. We had to thoroughly research the precinct which meant trips to the archives and libraries, department of land records, interviews with residents, occupants and historians as well. Additionally if the route included government or other institutional buildings, then we had to run from pillar to post trying to obtain the requisite permissions for large groups to enter. And this is not an easy job in Mumbai as many the finest heritage sites are government-owned and access to the public is restricted. We battled on and are happy to say that it was the first-ever effort of its kind in the city where the public was allowed into many otherwise off-limits heritage buildings. This included the world-famous but closed-off administrative wing of the grand Victoria Terminus and the 1800s Gothic-style State Police Headquarters.

It was also the first-time that private-owners opened up their homes for our groups to enter. This was on our walking tours through the quaint heritage precinct of Khotachiwadi. This is a charming neighbourhood of vernacular Portuguese-style dwellings within the heart of the city. Although very few original prototypes survive, the pattern and style of existing houses represents a unique ensemble of 19th century structures constantly threatened to extinction by the peripheral urban milieu. Not only was visiting heritage homes a wonderful opportunity for participants, but the delight and pride that shone on the faces of the home-owners was also very satisfying for us.

Women's Day message

Mothers are one's first and best gurus. Even now, my mother always reminds me - being happy doesn't mean that everything is perfect. It means that you've decided to look beyond the imperfections. Yes, we must constantly strive to better yourself and set high standards for yourself. But don't measure success by how society may see it; create your own definition. And make sure it includes you being happy with your own self!