Thiruvananthapuram: Heritage Walk that takes people to narrow bylanes, river ghats, bustling markets, and heritage areas of the city to look at them anew has completed five years.
The walk was launched by archaeologist Bina Thomas in October 2013. Bina, then living in the city for not very long, felt a pressing need to familiarise the people with the place they called home. With the city taking rapid strides towards development, she wanted to expose its denizens, especially the young, to the heritage that remained standing.
Bina was only too aware that not every structure could be saved as the city grew and expanded. That, for her, underscored the importance of documenting them so that they were not forgotten by future generations.
In the past five years, Heritage Walk has come a long way. From 20-odd participants initially, the walks now see 80 to 100 people turn up to take a peek into the times gone by and what remains.
The walks, Bina believes, have also helped people think differently about heritage. The perception that heritage and history are about royalty or lay in grand structures has been cast aside as people realise there is more to them, and that heritage belongs to everyone and is their concern.
Says Bina, “I felt it was important for people to see the heritage value in common things. We started by visiting markets, schools, hospitals, railway stations, canals … places that make up a city and which changed the face of Thiruvananthapuram from a small temple town to a bigger city. Heritage Walk has tried, successfully, to highlight this transition.”
The walk has covered places around the core East Fort area in the city, the Fort area, places near the border with Tamil Nadu, and even Kollam.
Started with the help of four other persons, including prominent names such as Malayinkeezhu Gopalakrishnan and Achuthsankar S. Nair, the walks have seen the conservation architect Sharat Sunder Rajeev, archaeologists Hemachandran Nair and Rajesh, and architect Manoj Kumar Kini shared their expertise with the participants.
The oldest participant in the walks has been 90-year-old Leftist Saradamani Amma, but she is no longer able to attend them. The youngest has been Achuthanandan who was four or five years old when he started the walks.
In days to come, Bina wants to reach out to children in government schools with projects on heritage walk and clubs. Students learn history in textbooks, but they miss out on heritage, says Bina, adding that she wants children to understand how heritage is relevant to the present.
For now, Bina is preparing for her next Heritage Walk.
