In 2018, Aafreen Fathima undertook a “branding” exercise for Royapuram, showing her classmates at MESAI School of Architecture the locality possessed icons of architecture and history.
The walkaround took in Fort St. George, First Line Beach and Armenian Church. Aafreen would go on to organise informal heritage walkarounds for her friends in other sections of Chennai. The effort winning hearts beyond her circle of friends, she took it to her Instagram page ‘ninetyeight.madras’.
Aafreen’s family is rooted in Royapuram, their association with the locality stretching back across many generations. She grew up listening to stories of Madras from her grandfather. “I have always wanted to share the legacy of the city lost in the everyday bustle and I am happy these heritage walks help people look beyond the stereotypes about the city,” says the architect.
Initially, her heritage walks comprised trails around Central and George Town. And then, she added her home ground to the trails.
Royapuram walk begins at the Royapuram railway station, the oldest functioning railway station in India; covers Peter’s Church and the Parsi fire temple. “Royapuram walk is a perfect example of how the past and the present are juxtaposed,” she says.
A maximum of 30 people are accommodated in the walks which include George Town (three different types of trails), Park Town, Royapettah and Royapuram. The fee — ₹350 for adults and ₹ 250 for students — includes Madras-themed postcards or bookmarks as takeaways.
At the height of the pandemic, Aafreen partnered with Nam Veedu, Nam Oor, Nam Kadhai, a heritage management community, to host virtual walks on Instagram. Virtual walks typically consisted of exploring a trail through photos and discussing the details via storytelling and quizzes.
After the pandemic, she collaborated with more organisations, including Madras Photo Bloggers and Tamilnadu Tourism Development Corporation.
Representing Nam Veedu, Nam Oor, Nam Kadhai, Aafreen hosted a photo walk on World Disability Day in Mamallapuram in 2021 for a group of 40 hearing-impaired photographers. She has also hosted heritage walks for educational institutions like MEASI Academy of Architecture and Sai University covering areas like Triplicane, Aminijikarai and Choolaimedu.
For updates on upcoming walks, follow her Instagram page: @ninetyeight.madras.
