India Heritage Walk Festival 2018 : A Food Odyssey in Pune’s Old City

PUNE:
Small eateries often tucked away in narrow, winding bylanes are the upholders of the Pune’s renown among street food lovers; an exploration of these little nooks in the Old City this weekend as part of the India Heritage Walk Festival 2018 is going serve up a treasure trove of stories, alongside delectable Maharashtra cuisine.
IHWF 2018 is a month-long, multi-city event organised jointly by Sahapedia, an online encyclopedia of Indian arts and culture, and Yes Culture, the cultural division of Yes Global Institute, a practising think tank of Yes Bank, to encourage citizens to explore the tangible and intangible heritage of their cities and towns.
Pune is hosting a walk titled Food and History through the Old City on Saturday, February 10, for residents to discover a little piece of their city through its food and history. Kshitija Pande, a student of Indology and a heritage enthusiast, will lead the walk through paths dotted with little shops that serve up traditional and new delicacies, and explore heritage sites tucked away behind new buildings.
Details about the walks and other programmes of IHWF 2018, map routes and registration information are available on http://www.indiaheritagewalkfestival.com
Vaibhav Chauhan, Festival Director (IHWF) and Secretary, Sahapedia, says, ‘The India Heritage Walk Festival 2018 is a celebration of all that Sahapedia stands for. In an attempt to create authentic, credible, and exhaustive content on our rich heritage and culture, we are developing a network of cultural practitioners across the country. This festival is a part of this pan-India movement, making heritage spaces more popular, more accessible, and more experiential. This is exactly why the festival tries to involve people from various walks of life with a range of thematic experiences covered through the walks, and caters to as many people as possible.’
Rana Kapoor, MD & CEO, Yes Bank and Chairman, Yes Global Institute, adds, ‘India is blessed with a rich heritage and cultural history, which is abundantly manifested in monuments and architectural sites across our country. Civil society participation in our Nation’s heritage, aided by activities such as heritage walks, is integral to the preservation and conservation of these sites. Such heritage tourism initiatives, with the whole hearted participation and involvement of local communities and citizens, has the potential to instill immense national pride and further the agenda of heritage development.’
According to Preeti Sinha, Global Convenor, Yes Global Institute, ‘The understanding of heritage in 21st century India has expanded from the protection of historic buildings and monuments to focus on more general understanding of the wider context and preservation of tangible and intangible cultural forms. Through active engagement with built, natural and living heritage through the design of walks, talks, and digital media such as films and social forums, the festival will be a touchstone for conscious thinking towards formulating historically-sensitive policy and decision making.’
IHWF 2018, covering 20 cities and towns around the country, features walks to historical monuments and shrines, well-known landscapes, places known for art and culture, cuisine and flourishing trade. There is an online film festival of documentaries based on cultural themes, and lecture series curated as Baithaks and Instameets as part of nearly 70 events scheduled throughout the month.