Angels of Tourism: Bharat Gothoskar of Khaki Tours Helps Mumbaikars Uncover Mumbai’s Secrets

Wadala resident Bharat Gothoskar, who has a professional background in sales and marketing, has always been a history buff. But much to his dismay, he realised that a lot of Mumbaikars are quite oblivious to the local history. “Most Mumbaikars know of great temples of the south and UNESCO heritage monuments at Agra, but not many know about the rich history of the city!” Gothoskar shares.  

This inspired Gothoskar to start free heritage walks for his friends and family, which eventually grew into Khaki Tours in 2015. He and his team for a decade have been conducting heritage walks and tours on foot, car, in a sail-boat, and even in an open-top jeep. “Once I was stuck in a traffic jam at Bhuleshwar, I had the realisation that had I been in an open vehicle, I would have appreciated the architecture of this neighbourhood more. That’s when the idea of an open jeep came,” the founder-CEO shares. 

Bandra, Banganga, Byculla, Dadar, Wadala, Koli villages, Dharavi, Fort precinct, freedom struggle-special walks, art deco, Ganesh Chaturthi and Christmas specials, special night tours, food tours and harbour tours are a few of the 70 experiences Khaki Tours provides. 

“Our mission is heritage evangelism and we want more and more people to become heritage and history enthusiasts. And we achieve this by conducting tours and walks that are not your typical sightseeing kinds. We give immersive experiences of understanding the place,” he shares, adding that among the many heritage gems in the city, he still enjoys visiting Fort, Byculla, Mahim and Antop Hill, as they have some great hidden stories that even the residents are not aware of. 

Dr Ashish Kelkar, paediatrician, who has been part of Khaki Tours’ walks and trips since 2017, says “Bharat’s walk and tours have brought in a lot of awareness about the city's heritage amongst people. What sets him and his team apart from the rest is the passion with which they work and the lesser-known stories of the various neighbourhoods.”