Delhi Galiyara

Delhi Galiyara started in 2017 as a pictorial archive of Delhi from the perspective of a flâneuse or female wanderer. It is the brainchild of Pallavi, who is a photographer and documentary filmmaker and editor. She is a Post Graduate in Gender Studies and her work primarily revolves around gender and space. She is also a Gender and Heritage walk curator and has lead  walks in the Delhi Walk Festival 2016 and 2017. She is known for her night walks in Mehrauli and has been invited by Universities like Ambedkar University Delhi and South Asian University to curate walks as part of the curriculum. 

Media Coverage

The night walks by Delhi Galiyara take you to Paharganj and Mehrauli, where Pallavi, the walk leader, encourages you to wander the night, while discussing the rich heritage of days gone by, experiencing the togetherness of a group of women talking, laughing, discussing history and exchanging their views on gender discrimination and woman empowerment. This edition of the DWF celebrates the female flâneur and these walks by Delhi Galiyara represent that well along with other walks led by women or about women of Delhi. The fact that the walks explore the city at night makes it even more meaningful to us, as it makes night exploration possible, safer and for all genders alike.” –

Aastha Chauhan, Festival Director, Delhi Walk Festival 2017

Sunday Guardian

The point of the festival is to celebrate the act of walking,” says Pallavi. But in a city like Delhi, with its record of crime against women, the act of them coming out and walking at night also makes a larger statement. “It’s about a sense of togetherness. The idea is to loiter at night,” says Pallavi.”

Livemint

The word ‘galiyara’ is almost giddily poetic, and Pallavi’s inspiration comes from how sweetly it sits in between mundanity and magic. “‘Kaun jaye Zauq, Dilli ki galiyaan chhod kar,’” as she reminds us — the Delhi flaneur’s slogan, borrowed from a Shahjahanabad darling, that implies that no one would be foolish enough to leave the lanes of Delhi. “From Chandni Chowk to Mehrauli,” she says, “it’s just a maze of lanes, narrow and broad. ‘Dilli’ and ‘galiyara’ go hand in hand.” Let go of that Mace for a moment to put your hand in hers.

Take a night walk with a delhi (gal)iyara

More on Walks

• Smell Sensorium Walk (In collaboration with KNMA’s Sensing the City project)

• Curated excursions for RC21 Conference Delhi 2019.

“Research Committee 21 (RC21) on Sociology of Urban and Regional Development of the International Sociological Association was established in 1970 to promote theory and research in the sociology of urban and regional development, and – in so doing – create an international community of scholars who will advance the field.”

RC21 official website