We are Varis and Catherine from Australia. Mysuru in South India stole our hearts from the moment we visited in early 2014.
As lovers of the handmade, we sought out the local artisans who live and breathe their crafts. We learned how their knowledge and skill is passed down from one generation to the next. It is so much a part of their culture, that in Sanskrit there is a specific word for it. Parampara.
Being so inspired by their passion and devotion we wanted to share it with like-minded travellers. This is when Varis’ concept for Skillstourism was born. Like most businesses, we have gone through some shifts and changes, but the essence of the original concept still runs through all of our trips. We now call ourselves India Unravelled.
Our trips are small group, bespoke journeys using the knowledge and contacts we have gathered along the way to create experiential, slow travel that takes you deep into the heart and culture of this awe-inspiring country we are blessed to call our second home
We personally host all our trips along with our Operations Manager Ravitej, a Mysuru native and hand-selected local guides. Some of our trips have a co-host who shares our passion for India. We give our customers deep insight into the culture that makes India such a wonderful destination that keeps people coming back again and again.
Staying in beautiful heritage and boutique properties, we get away from the main monuments and into the back streets where the real India can be found. We start off in our hometown of Mysuru, the cultural capital of South India. This gives our customers a soft introduction and time to find their India legs before we venture further afield to larger cities and/or the more crowded North India where local people see a lot more foreigners than they do here in the South. Travelling through India is like travelling to many different countries. The language, the customs, the food, the festivals have a core similarity, but change state to state, region to region.
Every day is full of surprises. The simplest things that the locals see as everyday happenings, fill us with delight and wonder. We have taught our guides to understand the India that our customers want to see, to connect with. Our guides won’t bore you with a history lecture spouting dates and names that are unfamiliar and hard to follow or understand. They will weave stories for you that will evoke your imagination and transport you to a different place in time.
This is the India we want to share with you. It is our way of passing along the knowledge we have gathered during our time in India and honouring the age-old tradition of passing on what we have learned.
We continue our ongoing quest to discover more of this incredible country, its people, its culture, its customs and its crafts so that we can continue to share our discoveries with you and create more and more trips to take you off the beaten track into the soul of this incredible, mystical land.
Come with us on a journey you will never forget as we unravel the mysteries of India together.
Namaste
