The School was organized with three main objectives. First, it was a pedagogical intervention designed to share CCK’s HAB work and methods with the wider community of researchers and practitioners. Second, to promote conversations around the place of place, heritage, and community knowledge in the backdrop of rapid urban transformations. Third, to help build a community of interested individuals with some shared understanding of and stake in these issues. 

There were thirty-two participants from different parts of the country and from all walks of life. They included doctoral candidates, masters and undergraduate students from institutions like AUD, Jawaharlal Nehru University, University of Delhi, Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay and Hyderabad, and the University of Mumbai. Other participants included journalists, theatre and art practitioners, community activists, and independent researchers. In addition, Dr. Jyothi Thrivikraman from Leiden University College, a member of HAB, also participated in the Winter School, which provided the opportunity to discuss programme matters alongside the planned activities.

The Winter School comprised of workshops in ‘Walking as Method’, ‘Mapping Neighbourhoods’, ‘Oral History’, and ‘Digital Storytelling’ conducted by experts, including HAB practitioners Mesha Murali and Surajit Sarkar. These were undertaken in an interactive and hands-on manner wherein participants got to learn and practice new skills or refine the ones they had prior experience of.

There were plenary lectures in the evenings by noted scholars and practitioners on various aspects of oral history, sensory reading of cities, and creative urban storytelling. Speakers included historians Swapna Liddle and Yogesh Snehi, sociologist Ishita Dey, and artist Bhagwati Prasad.

Guided walks in the Karampura area and the urban village of Khirki were conducted to appreciate the multi-layered nature of urban neighborhoods.