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Dr. Parthajeet Das (Partha or Das) is a self-confessed, engaged and addicted lover of Delhi and it’s history, story, architecture and poetry. He currently works as a Director at a not-for-profit foundation working towards improving school education in India. He has worked with top management and government consulting firms in the past.
Parthajeet believes this to be his joyous duty to educate the tourists, passers-by and more importantly the inhabitants of the city about the rich history, architecture and heritage of Delhi. He has been conducting walks in and around Delhi since 2016, mixing a bit of history, storytelling and drama leveraging his research, storytelling and theatre skills.
He is also a traveler and writer who has a few publications such as Slient Horizons (a collection of English poems), Tum Main aur Ye Wadi (a collection of 51 urdu nazms) many short-stories, travelogues and plays (in both English and Hindi) to his name.
I have had the pleasure of attending a few walks by Parthajeet. As a new resident in Delhi, it was truly amazing to get to know the heritage we live amongst. The walk was truly informative and the best part is ofcourse at the end, no spoilers here but do catch it if you can! Very nice way to spend your weekends with friends and maybe even make a few new :)
What would have otherwise been a random visit to a historical monument in ruins became a magical experience as Partha walked us through the premises, narrating the story of Muhammad-bin-Tughlaq in his unique style and bringing the fort to life! Yes, literally brought back to life - I recall how he pointed to one of the structures that would possibly have been a market inside the fort and showed us coins that were introduced by Tughlaq - a ruler who was way ahead of his times. I could actually visualize a bustling marketplace in front of me. During the walk, Partha uncovered for us the many faces of Tughlaq - the greedy guy who ruthlessly killed his own family for power, a geek who was also greedy for knowledge, a devout follower of his religion, and an ambitious ruler who went ahead of his times. All this culminated with this 'mysterious' guy coming to life through Partha's theatre performance where he enacted Tughlaq. I must also put it here that Partha has done his homework thoroughly before taking us on this guided tour - be it the history or decoding the complex person that Tughlaq is, as well as planning the walk in such a way that you get to cover the entire fort without feeling the distance - with short stops at major spots with an interesting tale unfolding before you. He has also collected relevant photographs and artifacts that add richness to the experience. In short, it was a unique experience for me, and I look forward to more such walks organized by him.
For me personally, it was a captivating walk which I call a journey through time. One of the key highlights was experiencing the ruins of the Tughlakabad Fort the way it was 700 years ago. Stepping through the dingy rooms, halls, and stairs was like stepping into a time capsule. Dr Parthajeet provided us with a detailed account of the family who once resided there and the impact it had had across different parts of Delhi. Since we were a small group of people, it allowed for a more personalized experience and we had the opportunity to ask questions along the way. I appreciate the way Dr Parthajeet while narrating the historical pieces of evidence provided us with in-depth answers and shared his expertise on the walks he conducted before. What was more commendable was to encounter a short act played by him at the end of the walk which took us way back in time. I left with a deep appreciation for Tughlakabad Fort's history and would recommend this walk for not just history enthusiasts but all seeking an enchanting educational journey through time.
Spent a beautiful Saturday morning a couple of weeks ago with Delhistorywalks - journeying through the ruins of Tughlaqabad and learning about 14th century Delhi with our very enthusiastic guru Parthajeet. The storytelling was stitched together with thoughtfully curated information, artefacts, anecdotes and humour - prompting us to bring history alive by imagining the great Tughlaqs and their ways of life. I highly recommend this walk to anyone who'd like to know more about Delhi - you would be in for a great learning experience! :)
