Top News

Almost eight years after it began leading history enthusiasts through Hyderabad’s forgotten spaces, Deccan Archive is making its most ambitious move yet. From September 5 to 20, the organisation is handing the keys of the city back to its residents with Shehr Festival, a two-week-long walk festival that invites residents to explore Hyderabad’s history, food, culture, nature, and architecture on foot. A one-of-a-kind initiative, it is designed to completely transform how Hyderabadis claim their streets.

Stepping intentionally outside the boundaries of traditional heritage walks, this festival is bringing together nearly 18 independent organisations and local subject matter experts who know their way around Hyderabad. Together, they are touted to offer 50 curated experiences ranging from nature and tech to fashion and art.

“Over these eight years, our primary focus was on heritage,” explains Mohammed Sibghatullah Khan, Founder of Deccan Archive. “But a city is much more than just heritage. There are a lot of organisations in Hyderabad that have been conducting different types of walks. There is nature, food, art, architecture and much more. Shehr Festival is a unified platform to bring all of these organisations together.”

One tap — then press “Add” on Google

Beyond Deccan: An initiative for the whole country

The name of the festival itself marks a deliberate expansion in vision. “We specifically didn’t restrict the name to Deccan. We named it Shehr because we want this to be an adaptable urban festival model that can eventually move to cities across India once our Hyderabad edition establishes ground,” Sibghatullah tells Siasat.com.

This vision shows in the way the festival has been designed. Rather than recycling the familiar routes through the Old City, Shehr Festival ventures into unexpected precincts. Participants can explore the high-density coaching hubs of Ameerpet Skilling District with tech researcher Srinivas Kodali, trace the socio-technological history of how Cyberabad was carved out or listen to a keynote address by former Chief Justice S. Muralidhar.

What to expect at the Shehr Festival?

The festival’s programming balances deep archival history with sensory, living culture. Giving a glimpse of what ensues, Sibghatullah revealed, “Some of the highlights include a heritage dining experience with dishes from a 150-year old recipe book, a pearl workshop, nature walks and a Bohri culinary experience inside a historic haveli in Old City.”

Scheduling has also been engineered in a way that it is accessible to all. While weekends are packed with morning and evening trails, weekday events are spaced out sequentially so that participants can attend every single experience without the frustrating schedule conflicts typical of large festivals like these. “Unlike other festivals, we are not restricted to only one space. This is a festival that will take place across the city, not just Old City or New City. It is for all,” he said.

Furthermore, in an attempt to democratise the city, the vast majority of experiences will remain completely free of cost.

“We chose September because it carries profound historical resonance for Hyderabad, particularly surrounding the events of Operation Polo in 1948,” he adds. “It is a time when the city’s identity feels especially palpable.”

Registrations are open via the Shehr Festival website. Check below or their Instagram for the full schedule of the events.