When the City Becomes the Meeting Room
- by: Kumar Manish
Being part of today’s eChai Ventures Heritage Founders Walk in Ahmedabad was a powerful reminder of why this city holds such global and personal significance.
Ahmedabad is not just a growing urban centre. It is India’s first UNESCO World Heritage City, a place where centuries of architecture, craft, community living, and cultural memory continue to coexist with modern ambitions.
As part of the founders’ initiative it is a way for founders and professionals to step out of meeting rooms and screens, and into the living fabric of the city.
Walking through the pols, temples, mosques, chowks, and bylanes, we didn’t just encounter heritage structures, we encountered stories, livelihoods, restoration efforts, local entrepreneurship, and people who are preserving, reinterpreting, and reshaping the old city in their own ways.
Conversations unfolded naturally about work, ideas, urban challenges, culture, startups, conservation, and community over khaman, jalebi and chai of famous Chandravilas palace, another heritage food outlet of Amdavad.
In a UNESCO World Heritage City, heritage is not meant to be observed from a distance. It is meant to be walked, listened to, and lived with.
Grateful to be part of a founders’ community that believes city-building begins with understanding the city first.
As I have been part of Heritage walk over the years, I can see & observe the transformation of the living heritage of the city. The lanes are getting paved, the facades getting restored and the living heritage trying hard to keep pace with changing surroundings.
And a great way to start new year 2026 !
The walk was conducted by Dhaumil Parmar.
Ahmedabad is not just a growing urban centre. It is India’s first UNESCO World Heritage City, a place where centuries of architecture, craft, community living, and cultural memory continue to coexist with modern ambitions.
As part of the founders’ initiative it is a way for founders and professionals to step out of meeting rooms and screens, and into the living fabric of the city.
Walking through the pols, temples, mosques, chowks, and bylanes, we didn’t just encounter heritage structures, we encountered stories, livelihoods, restoration efforts, local entrepreneurship, and people who are preserving, reinterpreting, and reshaping the old city in their own ways.
Conversations unfolded naturally about work, ideas, urban challenges, culture, startups, conservation, and community over khaman, jalebi and chai of famous Chandravilas palace, another heritage food outlet of Amdavad.
In a UNESCO World Heritage City, heritage is not meant to be observed from a distance. It is meant to be walked, listened to, and lived with.
Grateful to be part of a founders’ community that believes city-building begins with understanding the city first.
As I have been part of Heritage walk over the years, I can see & observe the transformation of the living heritage of the city. The lanes are getting paved, the facades getting restored and the living heritage trying hard to keep pace with changing surroundings.
And a great way to start new year 2026 !
The walk was conducted by Dhaumil Parmar.
