Heritage photowalk of Mumbai - Our World

I was invited for the launch of a ‘Photography Heritage Walk’ hosted by Raconteur Walks Tourism. This was indeed a unique concept introduced in Mumbai wherein you are not only shown the heritage structures of this great city but also guided as to the best way to capture the beauty in your cameras by an expert photographer! Being a lover of Mumbai I jumped at the opportunity and was not disappointed.

We gathered at the Crawford market, where we were briefed about Mumbai, its history and geography, by Saurabh and Dwayne who were the guides for this tour. Saurabh, incidentally is an IT expert and Dwayne a geologist, but doing this to share their love and knowledge of this wondrous city and listening to them one would get the impression that they are historians of Mumbai! We were each presented with a Raconteur cap to ensure we could easily be identified on the crowded streets of Mumbai and an energy bar to keep us energised for the three hour walk.

After the walk through Crawford Market, we walked along JJ College of Architecture and Fine Arts whose walls were decorated beautifully with students’ art.

Then on we went to the famous Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, the only Railway Terminus in the world to have a World Heritage Status! Saurabh explained the symbolism of the various statues on the building. Opposite stood the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation headquarters whose dome 

also has a very interesting fact. Apparently the dome was used to store water to douse any fire in the building using hydraulical systems!

Then we walked along Dadabhai Naoroji Road which was flanked on either side by amazing buildings with the travel photography expert Gustasp Irani guiding the participants in taking the best

pictures all the way to Flora Fountain where again Saurabh and Dwayne gave us deep insights into the history of the monument.

And then off we walked to the marvellous Asiatic library whose pillars too have an interesting story 

just as the Horniman circle gardens and the buildings around do.

Then it was time to walk to the art deco area of Mumbai – Marine Drive, which we were left to explore on our own, with a brief history and fond farewells.

Strangely all the participants of the tour were Mumbaikars except for one American tourist! And everyone went home much enlightened and awed about the city we lived in.

Thank you Raconteur Walks’ Saurabh and Dwayne for the knowledge you shared.

If anybody is interested in taking any of their various interests walking tours of Mumbai you may click on Raconteur Walks.

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