Hosted by Madras Inherited, The Equals Project, and GCC's Gender & Policy Lab, the heritage walk's mission is to celebrate the historical contributions of women in the Madras Presidency.
The walk will begin at the Durgabai Deshmukh Hospital in Adyar and end at the Cancer Institute on Canal Bank Road. (Supplied)
Earlier this year, during my fellowship aimed at assessing safety and accessibility in public spaces in Chennai, an interesting yet often overlooked revelation emerged. Public spaces are perceived differently by individuals of varying genders.
To illustrate, a moderately lit but secluded street might be considered entirely safe by a man. In contrast, a woman or a member of the transgender community might still feel unsafe despite the visibility of the surroundings.
This divergence in perception stems from the distinct criteria for assessing the accessibility and safety of a space, influenced by gender and personal experiences.
On Saturday, 7 October, the city will play host to a special night heritage walk for women. Aptly titled Madrasin Pengal (Women of Madras), the walk will provide an opportunity for open discussions regarding access and safety, all while uncovering the untold stories of women who have frequently been sidelined in historical narratives.
On Saturday, 7 October, the city will play host to a special night heritage walk for women. (Supplied)
Hosted by Madras Inherited and The Equals Project in collaboration with the Greater Chennai Corporation’s (GCC) Gender and Policy Lab (GPL), the walk will begin at the Durgabai Deshmukh Hospital in Adyar and end at the Cancer Institute on Canal Bank Road.
Madrasin Pengal, however, isn’t a one-time endeavour.
The brainchild of Ashmitha Athreya of Madras Inherited and Shruthi V of The Equals Project, Madrasin Pengal started as a social media project in 2022.
In history, women’s contributions have often been overlooked, and their absence has been more noticeable than their presence.
“We wanted to dig deep into their lives. The intention was to offer insights into selected women, one per month, and talk about their early life, legacy, and more,” shares Ashmitha.
The research for this, however, started a few months before its launch on social media.
“While this was successful, we didn’t want to leave it at that. We didn’t want the stories to remain only on social media and wanted to do something tangible. Thus, with our collective experience in curating heritage walks, we decided to conduct a heritage walk on the women who made the Madras presidency,” she shares.
Madrasin Pengal started as a social media project in 2022. (Supplied)
However, it wasn’t the easiest of walks to curate.
“In a heritage walk, tangible vestiges are important to point out and hold the attention of the participants and the route, of course. Unfortunately, when speaking about women in our history, tangible vestiges are very few, and the route can be hard to curate and scattered. But, we identified the Adyar area to conduct our walk and were able to weave a narrative,” explains Ashmitha, who, along with Shruthi, conducted the first edition of the Madrasin Pengal walk last year.
The project quickly gained momentum.
It was a consultant, who is a communications specialist of the Gender and Policy Lab, who expressed a desire for the groups to work together in curating this walk.
Talking to South First, the consultant shares: “I knew they did a walk last year. So, I thought, why not do one on the same project? We could make it a night walk, and make it for people who identify as women.”
“Collaborating with GPL is truly fantastic; it represents a remarkable initiative that places a strong emphasis on a specific aspect of policy. I saw it as a perfect union, aligning the purpose of the walk with GPL’s mission,” shares Ashmitha.
The initiative aims to focus on different professions, with the initial emphasis on women in the freedom movement of the early 1900s.
Subsequently, they will spotlight women in administration. It will include the three women mayors who have led the city, as well as women who have played a pivotal role in education and medicine such as Dr Muthulakshmi Reddy and Dr Shantha, among others.
There will also be discussions on concepts like bias and perception, class and caste privileges, and recognition and remembrance.
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Talking to South First, Sharanya Ari, Deputy Commissioner of Education and the officer in charge of GPL shares, “The recent city-wide Perception Study by the Gender and Policy Lab highlighted some issues women face while travelling at night. Hence this night walk is designed to experience the night travel first-hand, with a mixed group of participants who are responsible for bringing the requisite change.”
“As the officer in charge of the Lab, I believe it is important to try out different creative formats to bring in more awareness on the subject of women’s access and safety in public spaces. As a group, we will be travelling on foot to places of significance on women trailblazers who contributed to building Madras for its women,” she adds.
The route also passes through various key locations. One of the newly installed public toilets by the corporation, a park, a bus stop, are a few among the lot.
“This walk will enable us to engage in meaningful dialogues and conversations with the participants. It will also highlight the significance of public infrastructure along the way,” notes Ashmitha.
“Our ultimate goal is to encourage women to access the city during the night hours. By doing these walks, we hope to empower more women to explore the city at night. It will make them pursue experiences they may have wanted but lacked the opportunity or courage to do so. It’s about stepping out in solidarity,” adds the consultant from Gender and Policy Lab.
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As the city prepares for this unique heritage walk, the spotlight will not only be on the past achievements of women but also on the future, where women can reclaim the night and access public spaces safely.
For details and to register, visit Instagram @MadrasInherited & @TheEqualsProject.
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