In our post-pandemic world, the heritage walk phenomenon has been working its way through most metropolitan cities, whose architectural gems and archives lie under the facade of bustling urbanisation. Essentially, a heritage walk is a creative way to get to know your surroundings, and in some way, yourself, especially as our cities seep into the lives we lead. Madras Inherited, a heritage awareness initiative in Chennai, conducts such walks every weekend, giving its citizens an opportunity to interact with the lost histories of their own city. Stories and buildings, long forgotten, are preserved through memory and documentation on these trails. Their walks span over Georgetown, Triplicane, Mylapore, Chintadripet, Broadway, Egmore, Chetpet, Royapettah, Royapuram, T Nagar, Santhome, and more! We spoke to Ashmitha Athreya, Head of Operations at Madras Inherited, about the trails they research, her love for the city, and more.
Introduce us to Madras Inherited.
Madras Inherited is a Registered Trust based out of Chennai, and the initiative’s work is driven by the aspiration of promoting heritage awareness and knowledge in the city of Chennai, with the core focus being our heritage walks that are conducted across different parts of the city every weekend. The initiative was co-founded by Tahaer Zoyab and Anupriya Subbian, who is also a Trustee, at the end of 2017. It was originally conceived to document and lead a walk through the heritage houses of Mylapore, a historic precinct in the city. It was formalised as Madras Inherited, expanding its focus area, in 2018. I, Ashmitha Athreya, Trustee, Head of Operations & Walk Leader, have been a part of this initiative since 2019 and have been heading the work and leading the heritage walks.
Over the years, and with the effort and contribution of several team members, the initiative expanded to include heritage walks that focus on different parts of the city with the belief that each neighbourhood has a story that deserves to be heard and shared. Along the way, other areas of work such as Heritage Education, Community Outreach, Architectural Heritage, and Research were also developed.
The name of your organization has the word ‘Inherited’ in it. Is there a story behind why you think of Madras as something to be passed on, one generation after another?
We believe that the collective history and heritage of Madras belong to everyone in the city — no single entity can claim to ‘own’ or claim to have more stake. When one thinks of the city as something we’ve inherited, it offers them the space and opportunity to connect with it, understand its journey, and lend a voice in times of need. It encourages one to think of the city as an integral part of their lives.
What is it about the act of simply walking around that invokes a sense of belonging?
I think it’s the act itself. As you’ve said, the simple act of walking through the city is something I’ve seen people rarely do, unless it’s for a specific purpose, like exercise, to catch a bus, to go to a neighbourhood shop, et cetera. Chennai is not an easily walkable city largely, as a result, we end up traversing through the city using different modes of transportation. While there are unmissable sights that these drives offer, what we do miss is the slow pace. As you walk, you tend to notice things, significant and otherwise, that you might have missed, even if it’s a route that you take regularly. You connect with what is around you, you pause at things that catch your eye and interest, you take in the aura that the city has, and you start looking at the city differently.
Walking is a powerful tool that enables you to understand how a street/ area flows, how its people interact with each other and the surrounding environment, how buildings live, how nature nurtures, and offers your perspectives while also enabling you to build one for yourself, which is irreplaceable.
Could you briefly explain the processes behind curating a heritage walk? What are the various components of research and ideation?
It all begins with an idea or a spark, an area or a topic that we find exciting and want to learn more about. We then sift through available material, write content referenced from several sources, identify the gaps and try and fill them through more research, and support the written content with visuals that are engaging and also easy to understand. Credible sources and reading material back our research and involves several visits to the site/ building/ subject in question. However, this is not a finite process, and we end up coming back to the table often with every new piece of information that is chanced upon and edit the walks.
Storytelling comprises a large chunk of leading a heritage walk — what about the city of Madras compels you to narrativise its people and buildings? What are some of the most memorable stories you’ve come across?
Madras (Chennai) is a warm and beautiful place. It has a place for everyone and receives people with kindness. Every nook and corner of the city has a story that sheds light on either the place, its people or its past. People and their lived experiences characterise the beauty of the city, and that is something I add to my knowledge every time I curate or lead a walk. Having lived all my life in this city, it excites me to discover its layers and understand why things function/ appear the way they do. This stems purely from my interest in history and the fact that I never had the chance to understand my city’s own history growing up. The one thing that drives me is the passion to present a holistic view of the city, the good and bad, and not pander to the cliched narratives that are subscribed to generally.
Personally, the story that continues to strike me is that of the Ice House. I remember hearing somewhere about how ice blocks were dragged from the sea and how this very action caused a section of the backshore, near the road, to buckle slightly under this weight, as a result of which, a big puddle of water forms every time it rains. Now, this was before I started learning about this place and leading walks about it, but I never failed to point it out to my sister or my friends whenever we happened to pass that very spot. It became a running joke that no matter what happens, I never miss telling this story whenever I pass this spot! Much later, upon curating a walk by the coast that included the Ice House as one of the stops, I learnt about the other side of the Ice House, the side that history books do not dwell on, the side of forced and exploitative labour involving natives from the oppressed castes that held up the Ice House and its distribution. Now, every time I pass the Ice House, my eyes perceive both sides — the shore on one side and the faceless, nameless labourers on the other.
How does the idea of conservation play into heritage walks?
A heritage walk enables one to stop, think, process, and reflect on the importance of a place. It is also a way of reconnecting with the stories and history of Chennai. We need to understand how the city evolved to look at how the city will shape up in the future. The past, present and future are interconnected. We envision the heritage walks as a tool to further the act of conservation, as in every story of heritage conservation the key stakeholders are the community. It is paramount that the community is involved and understands what is at stake.
Lastly, what does the future hold for MI?
Our vision is to make history and heritage inclusive and accessible. These two aspects are what drive our work and we consciously work towards achieving our best in this regard. In this process, we look forward to collaborating with like-minded individuals and organisations, and taking the topics of heritage awareness and preservation forward.
We introduce a couple of new heritage walk routes every year. In fact, we recently conducted two heritage walks that focused on the history and heritage of the railways in Madras. The walks were researched, developed, and led by me and were held in collaboration with the Southern Railway, opening the door to greater access and understanding of the railway heritage in question. Madras Inherited turned five just this month and we came up with a new programme. The aim is to bring individuals interested in leading heritage walks aboard and work with them in bringing out new walks! All in all, looking forward to all that the future holds!
You can discover more details on the heritage walks they undertake, and attend one here.
Words Neeraja Srinivasan
Date 27-06-2023