Small circles. Serious about the time they take from you.
Small, curated programs for people who’ve tried the usual book clubs, walking tours, meet ups, and weekend retreats, and found them rushed, crowded, or forgettable. Here, we do fewer things. Better.
You’ve probably been to a heritage walk that felt like a rushed history lesson. A book club that faded by month three. A weekend retreat that was really just a busy resort with yoga. A panel talk where you didn’t say a word.
We have too. That’s why we do this differently.
FOOTNOTES — Heritage/City Walk
Small group walks through the layers of a place … its histories, its quieter corners, its stories told by people who actually know them. Fewer participants. Longer stops. Better guides. For people who love history but hate tourist tours.
LIT PARK — Book Circle
A reading ritual for people who miss book clubs done properly … hosted, unhurried, thoughtful. Held outdoors when the weather allows, with conversations that actually go somewhere. For people who miss reading with others.
OFF GRID — The Weekend Getaway
Small-group retreats in carefully chosen places. Built around a theme, not an itinerary. No mandatory activities. No wellness pitch. Just space to pause, with interesting people. For people who don’t want an itinerary, just an intention.
The ADDA — Intimate Conversations
An evening format built around a featured voice … writer, artist, thinker, practitioner. Not a panel, not a lecture, not a podcast taping. A real conversation you’re part of. For people who miss being in the room, not the audience.
What Happens at Each Circle?
Duration: 2.5 to 3 hours Group size: 10–12 people maximum Format: Guided walk with structured stops Frequency: 2–3 times a month across cities Led by: A local storyteller, historian, or cultural practitioner who knows the neighborhood from the inside What to wear: Comfortable walking shoes. Nothing that slows you down. What to bring: Curiosity. A phone if you want to photograph. What’s provided: The route, the narrative, the stops. Sometimes chai at the end.
How it works: Each Footnotes walk is built around a single theme, not a neighborhood or a monument. The theme is announced a week before the walk. The route serves the theme, not the other way around.
Walks move slowly. There are long stops. Some stops are at obvious landmarks. Most aren’t. The guide decides on the day because the best stories in a city aren’t always where you expect them.
The walk ends somewhere worth ending … a chai stall, a courtyard, a quiet corner. The conversation continues for as long as people want to stay.
What this is not: Not a tourist walk. Not a history lecture with legs. Not a fitness activity with cultural garnish.
Duration: 2 hours (strict) Group size: 10–14 people maximum Format: Hosted book discussion with structured flow Frequency: Monthly Led by: A rotating host – a reader, writer, or thinker – with a host brief and a clear sense of the room What to bring: The book (read as much as you could). Something to write with if you like. An open mind about what you thought before you arrived. What’s provided: The book selection, the host, the space, tea or coffee.
How it works: One book per month, announced 3–4 weeks in advance. The host opens with a line from the book, not with introductions or logistics. The conversation moves through three layers: the story, the meaning, the personal. The host doesn’t lecture. They listen, create space, and bring the room back to the text when it drifts.
The session closes with one question: “What are you leaving with that you didn’t bring in?” The next book is announced at the end.
What this is not: Not a book review. Not a literary seminar. Not a social gathering that happens to involve a book.
Duration: 3 nights, 3 days (Thursday evening to Sunday evening) Group size: 8–12 people maximum Format: Themed residential retreat with structured and unstructured time Frequency: 4–6 times a year Led by: Two hosts – one who holds the theme, one who holds the logistics What to bring: Clothes for the weather, the book or journal you’ve been meaning to get to, yourself without the usual schedule. What’s provided: Accommodation, all meals, hosting, and the designed elements of the experience. Travel to and from the location is individual.
How it works: Every Off Grid is built around a question, one that nobody answers on day one. The first evening is arrival, dinner, and orientation. Day two has a light morning structure and an open afternoon. The evenings are always the most important part. Day three is slow, designed for integration, not activity.
There are no mandatory sessions. Everything is an invitation. The design creates conditions for things to happen – conversations, writing, walking, thinking, singing – but doesn’t force them.
Meals are together. Always. That’s the one non-negotiable.
What this is not: Not a yoga retreat. Not a corporate offsite. Not a holiday with a theme slapped on it.
Duration: 2 hours (always runs longer) Group size: 12–15 people maximum Format: Intimate hosted conversation with a featured guest Frequency: Monthly Featured guests: Writers, filmmakers, artists, founders, practitioners – people who have spent serious time on a serious thing What to bring: Nothing specific. Questions you’ve been carrying. The willingness to listen. What’s provided: The guest, the host, the space, and an evening worth your time.
How it works: The Adda has one featured voice per session. There is no stage. No moderator with a microphone. No prepared remarks. The guest sits in the room, not in front of it.
The host opens with one question. The conversation goes where it needs to go. The fifteen people in the room are participants, not an audience. Questions come from the room naturally, not from a queue.
The formal session ends at the two-hour mark. The room empties slowly. It always ends later than planned.
What this is not: Not a panel. Not a podcast recording. Not a lecture with a Q&A bolted on.
Where We Are Right Now
Our circles are at different stages. Here’s what’s live, what’s forming, and what’s coming.
Footnotes
Heritage Walks
🟢 Running
Delhi, Lucknow
Lit Park
Book Circle
🟢 Monthly
Delhi
Off Grid
Weekend Retreats
⚪ Coming Soon
Cities TBA
The Adda
Intimate Conversations
🔵 Early Cohorts
Delhi, Bangalore
What Makes Them Different
Small groups. Always. Large groups change everything. We cap every circle because small is the point.
Hosted every time. Every circle has someone whose only job is to make sure it lands for you.
No transformation promises. Just carefully designed time with good company. Whatever you take home is yours.
Invitation-led, not marketed. You won’t find us in Instagram ads or SEO pages. Our circles grow through word-of-mouth.
Who This Is For
You’ll probably feel at home here if:
– You’d rather read one book slowly than ten quickly.
– You’ve been to events where you didn’t speak once and wished you had.
– You want fewer, better gatherings.
– You’ve been wondering what else there is, beyond scrolling.
How To Join
Every circle fills from our invitation list.
1. Join the list. Pick the circles that interest you.
2. We reach out. Usually, two to three weeks before each circle opens.
3. You decide if it fits. No pressure, no push. You’re on the list as long as you want to be.