Walk with the Monsoon Festival 4!

Dear Delhi Walkers! At *The Monsoon Festival 4*, we are hosting two walks this weekend, *Yamuna Walk*: Walking to Discover a Polluted Yamuna & *In Search of Lost Water*: Rediscovering the Old Baolis and Water Bodies of Delhi.A big thank you to Swecchha for curating the Yamuna Walk and to Sunny Verma, who will be conducting your Yamuna walk!I am attaching the e-invites and a word document with a longer description for both the walks.Please contact us for more info and registration!

Bhaadon Mubarak

Himanshu Verma Red Earth Tel: 91-11-41764054 himanshu@redearthindia.com www.redearthindia.comThe Monsoon Festival: www.themonsoonfestival.com

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YAMUNA WALK
Presented by Red Earth as part of The Monsoon Festival 4
In Association with Swechha & Delhi Walks
IN ONE-LINE
Walking to discover a polluted Yamuna.
CURATED BY
Swechha
DATES AND TIMINGS
Saturday 29 August 2009; 5 am – 9 am
5 am: Collect at meeting point
9 am: Walk finishes at meeting point
VENUE
Meeting Point: Ticket Counter, Dilli Haat, Opp. INA Market; 5 am
(Please park your cars here, the group will proceed in a bus from here)
ENTRY DETAILS
Contribution: Rs. 250. Register in advance.
For registration contact Lopamudra Sanyal / swechhaindia@gmail.com / 9958147041
Shruti Narayan / shrutin@gmail.com / 9999913924
Himanshu Verma / himanshu@redearthindia.com / 41764054
Please carry the following: umbrella / hat; water, tea, fruits / snacks.
Wear comfortable footwear.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION
The River Yamuna is a celebrated river which is not merely a source of water, but has tremendous significance for the socio-economic, religious and cultural fabric of India. The Yamuna Walk is a simple way to demonstrate to citizens of Delhi, the drastically harmful ways in which the city, its dwellers and its industries pollute and damage a sacred river. The Walks are aimed to bring out our collective complicity in polluting the river, for citizens harm the river as much as industrial waste and toxins, and urge for the need for proactive work in this respect at personal and civic levels.
The Walk begins at Wazirabad, 5 kms upstream of Delhi at Palla Village. The river here is relatively plentiful and clean and supports a lot of different species of plants and animals.
The participants are then taken to the Najafgarh Drain, one of the 19 major drains that meet the Yamuna in Delhi.
The Yamuna Walk finally concludes with participants visiting the Kudsia Ghat, to look at the state of the river in the center of Delhi. Participants are taken on a short boat-ride on the river amidst discussion on ways each of us can help the dying Yamuna.


IN SEARCH OF LOST WATER
Presented by Red Earth as part of The Monsoon Festival 4
In Association with Delhi Walks
IN ONE-LINE
Re-discovering the old baolis and water bodies of Delhi.
CURATED BY
Himanshu Verma & Shruti Narayan
DATES AND TIMINGS
Sunday 30 August 2009; 1:30 pm – 5:30 pm
1:30 pm: Collect at meeting point
5:30 pm: Walk finishes at meeting point
VENUE
Meeting Point: Outside Parking Lot, Hauz Khas Village
(Please park your cars here, the group will proceed in a bus from here)
ENTRY DETAILS
Contribution: Rs. 250. Register in advance.
For registration contact Shruti Narayan / shrutin@gmail.com / 9999913924
Himanshu Verma / himanshu@redearthindia.com / 41764054
Please carry the following: umbrella / hat, water, tea, fruits / snacks.
Wear comfortable footwear.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION
In a city plagued with water problems, and in a world where water is constantly depleting, In Search of Lost Water takes you to water bodies of medieval Delhi to highlight traditional wisdom in water conservation and management.
The baolis (step-wells) of Delhi, scientifically designed to harvest rainwater and conserve it for use throughout the year, are in a state of disuse. Delhi has historically been a city with issues of water shortage, but in the present day, this problem has reached acute proportions. Can the Baolis and old reservoirs of Delhi help in solving the water problems of the city?
The baolis, besides being structures to store water and recharge the underground aquifers, were also an integral part of community life as people would gather and spend hot summer afternoons in the cool underground of the Baolis.
The walk takes you to baolis spread over the modern city of Delhi, built across the centuries by different dynasties, belonging to the different historic cities of Delhi. Why doesn’t New Delhi have its own Baolis? Why has it not kept the old baolis alive (reviving and cleaning the baolis is estimated to cost much less than what we spend on modern irrigation systems) to make sure Delhi-wallahs have more water?
We will discover lost community spaces, hear the laughter still echoing in the step-wells, eavesdrop on gossip, in search of lost water…
SCHEDULE
1:30 pm - Meet outside Parking Lot, Hauz Khas Village
(Please park your cars here, the group will proceed in a bus from here)
2:15 pm - Agrasen ki Baoli, Hailey Road (Raja Agrasen / Circa 1132 AD)
3:00 pm - Hazarat Nizamuddin ki Baoli, Nizamuddin (Circa 1321 AD)4:15 pm - Rajon ki Baoli, Mehrauli (Sikander Lodhi / 1516 AD)5:30 pm- Walk Finishes at Hauz Khas Village
OPTIONAL ADDITIONS
5:30 pm - Hauz Khas Reservoir (Ala-ud-din Khilji / 1296 AD)7:00 pm – Early Dinner at Gunpowder, Hauz Khas Village
(Peninsular kitchen at Haus Khas Village, reviving south India’s forgotten flavours)
(Dinner at individual's cost. Please let us know beforehand so we may book a table.)