HYDERABAD : On the occasion of World Heritage Day 2020 on Saturday, Hyderabad Trails organised a heritage walk, no not literally, but virtually, on Twitter. As many of us haven’t left our homes due to the extended lockdown, the beautiful ancient sights were literally a sight for sore eyes. The idea suggested by British Deputy High Commissioner Andrew Fleming saw at least 25 heritage enthusiasts share their pictures and stories from their many earlier heritage walks.
With a virtual cup of the famous saffron chai from Hotel Nayab, the first story was a folklore about how the royal flag of the Nizam dynasty has the image of a kulcha emblazoned on it. The virtual stopovers included Pathergatti, Gulzar Houz, Char su ka hauz, Badshahi Ashoorkhana, the curving lanes of Laad Bazaar, the cultural icon - Charminar, among other historical sites. On how he hit upon the idea of such an innovative walk, Fleming, a big heritage fan says, “In these difficult times we need to find new ways to engage people, this applies equally to our work and to our personal interests.”
Fleming who tweets from his Twitter @ Andrew007UK said, “It is important people are engaged with heritage to ensure the importance of these to a city, so buildings can be protected.” Gopala Krishna, ‘the guide’ from Heritage Trails buoyed by the enthusiastic response from Twitteratis to this last minute idea of theirs, said they plan to conduct more such walks until the lockdown period ends. About the walk, he said, “people were posting pictures of the locations they visited on our walks previously and shared historic trivia.” The event, the first ever virtual walk in Hyderabad lasted for over two hours.
Fleming commented that though he doubts this kind of idea is new, but he was not inspired by any such previous activity. He said, “It was something that I decided would be a good way to keep people engaged on an issue close to my heart and also help a group of young people (those of Hyderabad Trails) who have done so much to bring messages about the importance of heritage and history to the many, not the few.” — tamanna@newindianexpress. com @tamannamehdi