IndiGoReach, the CSR arm of IndiGo, and InterGlobe Foundation, the philanthropic arm of InterGlobe Enterprises, organised their fourth Heritage Walk, which took place at Nashik, Maharashtra on November 5, 2023. This walk is part of the ‘My City My Heritage’ campaign, which seeks to promote awareness regarding the significance of heritage and culture in India. The campaign has served as a platform for discussions and collaborations focused on preserving both tangible and intangible heritage of the country. ‘My City My Heritage’ started in November 2022 and similar walks have since been conducted in Prayagraj, Bhubaneswar, and Shillong.

Nashik was selected as the next city for the ‘My City My Heritage’ campaign due to its rich historical and cultural significance. The Heritage Walk, led by Ms. Amruta Uplekar, a conservation architect, offered a fascinating exploration of iconic landmarks of the city. The itinerary included visits to the Kalaram temple, Gore Ram temple, Naroshankar temple, Godavari Ghat, Ram Kunda, Dutodanya Maruti, Ganga Godavari temple, Kalpeshwar temple, Ahilya Ram temple, Sarkarwada, and concluded at the Sundar Narayan temple. The event drew enthusiastic participation from the local community, government officials, and senior leadership of IndiGo and InterGlobe Foundation.

Speaking at the occasion, Pieter Elbers, Chief Executive Officer, IndiGo said, “IndiGo is proud to contribute to the exploration and preservation of Nashik’s heritage sites as part of the ‘My City My Heritage’ campaign.  We aim to not only boost tourism but also highlight the rich history and culture of Nashik, one of Maharashtra’s top tourist destinations. By providing direct links to three cities from Nashik, we strengthen our commitment to supporting communities and enhancing access to these architectural wonders through our unparalleled network, connecting people and places.”

Rohini Bhatia, Chairperson, InterGlobe Foundation, said, “At InterGlobe Foundation, we recognised the need and responsibility to preserve our cultural heritage. We are proud to be associated with the ‘My City My Heritage’ campaign, which has now reached the beautiful and culturally rich city of Nashik. This picturesque city exhibits a harmonious blend of historical and contemporary landmarks, and we are extremely excited to explore and promote it as part of our campaign. Through these heritage walks, our endeavour has been to stimulate meaningful dialogues, foster partnerships aimed at the preservation and conservation of India’s rich heritage and instill a sense of pride among local communities. We remain committed to this purpose.”

As the leading airline operator in Nashik, IndiGo has been instrumental in building robust connectivity to and from the city enhancing both intra-state and inter-state accessibility. Since commencing operations in Nashik, the airline now offers direct flights to Goa, Ahmedabad, and Nagpur.

Beyond the Heritage Walk, IndiGoReach is actively involved in CSR programmes in Nashik, Maharashtra. These programs are implemented in partnership with AFARM, an apex institution based in Pune, Maharashtra, and involve collaborating with support organizations like Maharashtra Prabodhan Seva Mandal (MPSM) and the National Institute for Sustainable Development (NISD). Since 2018, this initiative has positively impacted 12,000 rural women through sustainable agriculture and enterprise development. The programme’s first phase covered four districts (Pune, Ahmednagar, Nashik, and Thane). IndiGoReach is now preparing to begin work for the second phase in the coming months.

The ‘My City My Heritage’ campaign draws on material previously developed by InterGlobe Foundation in partnership with Sahapedia as part of a project to explore, document, and spread the diverse heritage and cultural aspects of ten Indian cities: Prayagraj, Indore, Nashik, Bhubaneshwar, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Chandigarh, Goa, Kolkata, and Shillong. More than two hundred cultural points of interest were identified as part of this project, and the material developed- including cultural mapping articles, self-guided trails, listicles, museum mapping, cultural calendars, photography, etc.- has been captured in the form of city booklets, which are now available to the public in both print and digital formats.

Both, InterGlobe Foundation and IndiGoReach have individually taken forward various projects for promoting heritage conservation and preservation in India. Some of the major projects of InterGlobe Foundation include, the conservation and cultural revival of Abdur Rahim Khan-I-Khanan’s mausoleum in Delhi, the cultural mapping and documentation of ten cities, and the restoration of the stepwell “Indra Kund” in Delwara, Rajasthan. Recently, InterGlobe Foundation also launched the InterGlobe HERITAGE Fellowships to engage a cross-section of the public in documenting and researching the cultural heritage of India and help increase its awareness. IndiGoReach also undertook projects for the conservation of Muhammed Qutb Shah’s Mausoleum at the Qutb Shahi Heritage Park in Hyderabad and the restoration of the interiors of the Lal Bagh Palace in Indore, Madhya Pradesh.