Imagine yourself in the lush Sanjay Van in the south-central Ridge of Delhi amid the monsoon. You are on a forest walk amid the verdant landscape under a sky shrouded in clouds. Under the canopy of trees, you are given a monsoon prompt to make the most of the walk. “Monsoon evokes a myriad of emotions—nostalgia, rebirth, romanticism, joy, even grief. We will explore these moods through the poems of Mary Oliver, Rabindranath Tagore, Don Paterson, and a few of my own, as we walk,” says Dilli Poetry founder Rachit Sharma as he introduces the walk, one of many such that the 30-year-old Noida-based poet has been conducting since last year. TMS speaks to vocational club founders from Delhi to find out about other outdoor restorative activities to enjoy this rainy season.
Forest bathing
The concept of ‘forest bathing’ comes from Shinrin-yoku, a process of therapeutic relaxation, in which one spends time in a forest for a sensory experience. Dipika Sharma, 42, the founder of Forest Therapy India, who conducts such tours in Delhi and Uttarakhand, says: “The idea was conceived in the 1980s when there was a tech boom in Japan and the government was trying to find ways to get people outdoors. It was observed that once workers were in the midst of nature, their focus, clarity and articulation powers increased. In metro cities, we are disconnected from nature and mostly go to indoor spaces like malls. Just 20 minutes of every day in a natural setting can boost your mood and awaken your senses. Forest Bathing also helps people to deal with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), high BP, and insomnia.”
She plans to conduct guided forest bathing in August and September at Okhla Bird Sanctuary, Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary and Lodhi Garden. “People will be guided to slow down – feel all sensations such as noticing the smells and the scents of nature, relaxing, slowing down the speed of breathing, watching the clouded sky, and water droplets,” she says.
Skating in the rains
Nishchal Singh, who co-founded the Delhi Skating Community in 2022 with Gunjan Sud, started the club as there wasn’t any society that was skating for leisure. From 4-5 people to now a group of 40 to 50 each session, the number of people attending has grown, thanks to open-air and easily accessible venues such as the India Gate, Ansal Plaza and the Asiad Village, where the group meets. Singh feels the monsoon is the perfect time to be outdoors.
“In summer we had a hard time skating outdoors due to the heatwave. But now, when the weather is relatively better with some cloudy days, I get 3-4 DMs every day for skating sessions on our Instagram page. The motto is to keep ‘Sundays for Skating’. It’s a fun activity for socialising too. After skating, we also do guitar jamming sessions and café hops.” He wants the community to be for leisure rather than for “competitive sports” so that it can attract a diverse crowd. “Recently, we had a group who had come from Bengaluru and got to know about new clubs, like ours, in the city. They immediately joined us. Especially people, who are living far away from their homes, want a space for social bonding and such hobby communities play a key role in forging new bonds.”
Into the wild
Noida-based Asian Adventures, a nature conservation-centric travel company, provides birdwatching, wildlife trekking, and other nature tours across India. Last month, they launched Delhi Earth Walks so that city folks can explore diverse landscapes and wildlife in Delhi. Mohit Aggarwal, CEO of Asian Adventures, tells us about Delhi Reptile Walk to be held on July 21 by his company: “People will observe frogs, moths, snakes and other nocturnal wildlife in Vasant Kunj’s Aarambh Waldorf. We will also conduct workshops for people about forest produce, backyard birding, gardening, and how to build a nest in areas like Sultanpur and Okhla Bird Sanctuary.”
Monsoons are also the right time for birdwatching as it attracts various species such as the Asian koel, rosy starlings, golden oriole and Indian pitta to Delhi; these birds come here during summers and stay on till the rains. Dr Gopal Goel, a Delhi-based orthopaedic surgeon who has been into birdwatching for the past 10 years, says: “You can see watercock, bitterns, and weavers in areas where water hyacinth is present in plenty; such areas are Mandothi, Najafgarh Drain and Okhla Bird Sanctuary in Delhi, and Chandu (Jhajjar) and Surajpur wetlands near the city-state. Bird-watching is a big de-stressor. It delays dementia and Alzheimer’s as your mind is active. It improves eyesight, hearing abilities, coordination of body parts, geography-mapping skills and makes you more respectful of nature.”
Paddle amid the puddle
Delhi By Cycle (DBC) has been organising cycling tours in the city since 2009. Their three cycle tours namely Purani Dilli Ke Kisse, Lutyens’ Tour, and Lodhi Art District (LAD) tour are a hit, especially in the monsoons. The first one explores the history and culture of Daryaganj, Turkman Gate, Chawri Bazar, Chandni Chowk, Khari Baoli, Red Fort and Jama Masjid. The second tour focuses on the British influence in Delhi, covering Connaught Place, Rashtrapati Bhavan, the new Parliament Building, Agrasen-Ki-Baoli, and Dhobi Ghat. The third one, also called ‘LAD By Cycle’, discusses how art has evolved in recent times and people’s connection to it. “As the rainy season has just set in, we are getting fully booked for the weekends, in contrast to the last few summer months when there were low registrations due to the heat,” says Utkarsh Rai, marketing and communications associate, DBC.
Tree talk
New Delhi Nature Society president, Verhaen Khanna, 35, was a commercial pilot who stopped flying to take up nature conservation full time. He is here to cure “tree-blindness” (ignorance towards trees) with tree-hugging, tree-climbing, and tree-identification walks that help people to learn the names of different trees around them. “We want to normalise tree climbing and hugging in a concrete jungle like Delhi. When we tree hug, people can feel the texture, temperature and energy of different trees. We have participants from the age four to 94—the older generations feel especially nostalgic after tree climbing as it reminds them of their childhood days of plucking fruits from the trees.” For monsoons, they have also planned a treasure hunt in Lodhi Garden and a firefly nature walk at sunset. “We keep the location a secret so that people do not take fireflies home!”