The Axis Bank Foundation (ABF) has tied up with Sahapedia, an online encyclopedia of Indian
arts and culture, to support its 'Heritage Walks', a project to help people understand the heritage of the cities and towns across the country. The ABF, through its Axis Cares programme, will support around 200 guided walking tours being organised by Sahapedia over a period of one year, nearly half of which will be for people with disabilities and underprivileged children.
Heritage Walk is a continuing project under which around eight to ten tours are organised every month in different locations, a release issued by Sahapedia said. The walks are led by curators well-versed in history, culture, monuments, alleys and byways of their cities and are also capable of engaging the participants with conversations and story-telling.
Registration for these events is limited but free, and it essentially involves a stroll, introducing the participants to lesser-known sights and sounds of the area. The theme-based walks are spiced with stories and information of the sites, chats with locals and sampling of the local produce.
With the support of ABF, Sahapedia expects to reach out to around 15,000 participants in 20 cities in one year. "Heritage Walks are a novel concept for us and ABF is committed to support socially relevant endeavours, and this is certainly an activity that merits support," said its CEO Jacob Ninan.
"The support for disadvantaged groups is at the core of ABF's philosophy, and so we are particularly happy that Sahapedia is curating some of these walks for people with disabilities and for children from less privileged backgrounds," he said.
Sahapedia's Executive Director Sudha Gopalakrishnan said its heritage walks are inclusive by design. "We curate tailor-made programmes for two reasons — to make such activities accessible for people who are often left out from cultural engagements and also to make institutions aware of the issues these groups face, so they can alter the heritage spaces to make them more inclusive."
The Axis Bank Foundation is a trust set up by the Axis Bank to channel its corporate social responsibility, with its prime focus on 'sustainable livelihoods'. Sahapedia, which has access to a large talent pool of academicians and researchers, undertakes cultural documentation and conservation projects.
