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Journalism of Courage
A variety of stuffed parathas are sizzling in hot oil and,as if drawn by the aroma,a crowd makes its way towards the shop. The winding Paranthewali Gali seems narrower still as they move through it. They stare at the parathas,order a few and then stand back to listen to the story of this famous address in Chandni Chowk. The storyteller is Prabhat Bhadauria,and his tale is peppered with delectable titbits about the various ingredients that make the gali a must-visit for foodies. The groups next stop is another historic address,Ghantewala Confectioners whose legacy of serving sweets dates back to 1790. Once again,Bhadauria reels out nuggets of information,merging old tales with modern anecdotes,for the captivated audience.
Like the food they are eating,the group is diverse an American couple,some Danes planning to participate in an auto-rickshaw rally from Mumbai to Chennai,a girl from Hong Kong,and two NRI sisters rediscovering their Delhi roots. The lanky Bhadauria cheerfully shepherds them around the lanes,chatting about oil,spices and herbs.
A few hours later,their trip ends at Karims and,as they dig into the delectable Mutton Burra ( a kebab made from ribs),the conversation is about Delhis culinary hot spots.
I get to meet new people,make them see places and eat things which they normally could not have found on their own. When I started these food tours around a year ago I used to organise walks only during the weekend. But the demand began to increase and now it is a regular affair, says Bhadauria,who gave up his MNC career to begin the tour called Delhi Food Adventures. Each walk lasts four hours,and the Adventurers cover around eight eateries.
While Delhi Food Adventures organises walks around Chandni Chowk and Connaught Place,Red Earth,a cultural organisation started by arts curator Himanshu Verma,organises food walks in Paharganj,besides Old Delhi. Bhadauria and Verma are among the several food enthusiasts in the city whose passion has transformed them into food guides. Red Earth walks are held about eight times a year,and draws corporate groups,expatriates and dilliwallas.
While a Delhi Food Adventures group is between two and eight people,a Red Earth food tour could consist up to 15 members. Charges vary between Rs 1,000 and Rs 2,000,which includes food expenses.
Shashank Aggarwal,founder of the Delhi Food Enthusiasts community,had a different motivation for starting walks. Most of the walks I went for focussed on non-vegetarian food. As a vegetarian,I would get annoyed. The fact that most of my conversations with friends also ended up around food,made me decide to start a community devoted to eating, shares Aggarwal.
For his community walks,Aggarwal doesnt charge anything. He simply invites people via Facebook and his blog to join him on weekly walks around the city,and everyone goes dutch.
Aggarwal recently started conducting paid walks for
corporates and private groups. These walks are tailored to the groups demands and typically cost between Rs 1,000 and Rs 2,000,depending on the number of participants and the eateries they want to visit.
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