A walk that gives you a lesson on city's history and buildings

 Did you know that St Mark’s Cathedral, considered to be the city’s oldest Anglican church, was built for the British army personnel to offer prayers and that the British Governor-General Lord Cornwallis marched his army down MG  Road?

More such interesting facts were unravelled to curious walking tour participants by history buff Praveen Singh at the recent ‘Bangalore Running and Walking Tours’ (BRWT).

Praveen Singh, a resident of Koramangala, who started the initiative a month back, said: “Not many people, specially youngsters, are aware of the city’s history and stories behind a few structures or localities existing today. The idea behind starting BRWT was to make people familiar with the significance of iconic sites that have shaped the history and culture of the city."

Singh, also a marathon runner for more than 10 years, conducted a maiden walk on the theme “British Bangalore Walk” in October 2016. During the walk, Singh shared insights, interesting anecdotes and history of Cubbon Park, High Court, State Central Library, Cantonment and surrounding areas with 15 participants.

Rare books

“It was a wonderful experience taking part in the walk. I got to know history about Cubbon Park. It was interesting to find an array of rare books at the Central library and the story behind High Court building,” said Subramanya Reddy, a tour participant.

Singh plans to hold walks based on themes such as temples, popular destinations, charming gardens and parks among others, in the coming days. “Also on the anvil is to introduce running tours,” Singh pointed.

BRWT walks are held every Saturday and Sunday between 7 am and 9 am. On the occasion of Kannada Rajyotsava, the second edition of “British Bangalore Walk” will be held on November 1, 2 and 3. Those interested can visit the Facebook page Bangalore Running & Walking Tours or contact 09900555558.