Experience the vibrant heritage of India

The third edition of India Heritage Walk Festival (IHWF) is once again here to bring you the true essence of India's tangible and intangible cultural heritage. Celebrating the diverse cultural fabric of India, Sahapedia's initiative explores the broad spectrum of Indian heritage and culture, such as, food, nature, arts, crafts, history architecture and so on.

IHWF connects people through its wide range of ideas of 'walks and talks' to discover the hidden gems of different cities and towns across the country.

Talking about the vision behind IHWF, Vaibhav Chauhan, director of IHWF said, "We dedicate ourselves to the cause of democratising access to the history and culture. What better place to start than in one's own neighborhood? One might be living in the same locality for years but there is a big chance that an important landmark, tucked away in a back alley, has been missed and forgotten."

The month long festival focuses on making the heritage spaces accessible to the diverse audience group by engaging them with experts, scholars and researchers who not just tell stories but also help one to learn and experience the vibrant heritage of India.

Vaibhav also explained how the festival has directed its efforts towards the groups for whom engagement programmes in heritage spaces are commonly unavailable, such as children, the differently-abled, and those from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. He said, "In the pursuit of this goal, We have created a network of cultural micro entrepreneurs, whereby connecting vanguards of a common cause. We have curated special walks and events with specific user groups in mind, such as

students, travellers, local residents professional groups of photographers, conservationists, and so on."

The inaugural ceremony of IHWF at UNESCO Auditorium on January 31 in New Delhi will have a panel discussion on 'Funding Culture, Sustaining Creativity and Communities', to address the importance of culture in central and state policies. The experts will also focus on the role of CSR funding in developing the arts and culture sector and other questions that echo in creative cultural industries. The panel brings experts from various backgrounds including Mridula Tangirala (Head, Tourism, Tata Trusts); Priyanka Singh (Head, InterGlobe Foundation); Vineeta Dixit (Head, Public Policy, Airbnb) and Meenakshi Sharma (Director General, Ministry of Tourism).

The month long festival will target 40 cities, featuring more than 140 experiences, which include curated walks, baithaks, workshops, Instameets, Insta tours and anubhutis.

(IHWF is an initiative led by Sahapedia in partnership with UNESCO, New Delhi and supported by NMDC, TATA Technologies and InterGlobe Foundation)