What makes the pursuit challenging, even risky, is the fact that pedestrians have to navigate disabling infrastructure as well as unregulated expansion of concrete urbanity. In fact, pedestrian pathways inside residential areas have been swallowed up by cars. This is an irony since human civilisation has witnessed several exemplars of the tradition of walking. Mahatma Gandhi emerged as an iconic addition to this tradition, with the Mahatma walking miles to mobilise human strength in pursuit of swaraj. The bigger question perhaps is this: is sustainable development not related to the intangible heritage inherent in the pedestrians’ pursuits?

Source: The Telegraph March 31, 2026 15:23 UTC