When Gurgaon rode on the Heritage Express
Heritage activist Vikramjit Singh Rooprai unravelled the untold stories of Qutub Minar while on the Rapid metro. Attendees with a coach full of history enthusiasts delved deep in the stories.
Last sunday wasn’t just any normal day at the Sikanderpur Rapid Metro station. It was a journey back in time with heritage activist Vikramjit Singh Rooprai who unravelled the untold stories of Qutub Minar while on board the Rapid Metro. The session by Rooprai was a hit among the attendees, and saw a coach full of history enthusiasts taking notes, even following it up with discussions post the journey as well.
The journey began with an exercise that emphasised the importance of understanding the language we speak and was followed up with discussion on theories associated with the marvel monument. With discussions surrounding the ‘First Jama Masjid’, ‘Origin of Qutub Minar’ to stories surrounding Vijay Stambh, Meru Stambh, and anecdotes on Prithviraj Chauhan, the two hour session delved deep in history unravelling the untold truths.
Read: Why do Delhiites want to live near monuments?
The journey began with an exercise that emphasised the importance of understanding the language we speak and was followed up with a discussion on theories associated with the marvel monument. With discussions surrounding the ‘First Jama Masjid’, ‘Origin of Qutub Minar’ to stories about Meru Stambh, and anecdotes on Prithviraj Chauhan, the two hour session delved deep into history.
“Everything is written in our books. We have just stopped reading them,” says Vikramjit, who has been doing such sessions for over seven years now. “There’s always a different side to the coin. We just need to understand and look at a topic with depth,” says Vikramjit and adds, “The whole purpose was also to spread awareness on using public transport. We’ll be the ones to benefit if we start using them. The environment will thank us.” Vikramjit says he was thrilled with the participation from Gurgaon. “With most sessions taking place in Delhi, people from the city were keen on having something here.”
Gaganpreet Uppal, an attendee and a resident of Gurgaon, said, “The experience was enriching. It was interesting to know about the heritage. It’ll be great to have such talks which speak of heritage sites in Gurgaon.”
