Have you ever been on an experiential tour through Northeast India, where you can have a front-row seat to the hidden crafts of the region?

Julie Kagti, a designer from Assam, is making this possible through ‘Curtain Call Adventures’.

Vacationers usually fall into two groups — those looking for the familiar holiday experience, sightseeing, tropical beaches and sands, and the other lot wanting to take the road less travelled.

Julie’s initiative targets the latter. With 25 years in the textile industry in Mumbai and Bengaluru, Julie's journey has been shaped by exposure to the diverse crafts that give India its cultural finesse.

“Having loved the Northeast so much, I would travel there with my kids every winter. But through the years, I noticed that the region’s crafts were getting diluted. Indigenous people were moving out as they found jobs in cities and tradition was dying.”

“I wanted people to be able to witness the traditional way of life in the Northeast regions before the curtain comes down on them,” Julie explains, referring to how her venture got its name.

Among the many experiences they provide are:

1. The opportunity to explore the Forest of Deity in Meghalaya — an untouched sacred grove spanning 78 hectares of land.

2. A visit to the Sepahijala Sanctuary in Tripura — home to leopards.

3. A trek through the town of Margherita (named after the Italian queen also synonymous with the pizza).

4. A visit to the famous Jonbeel Mela — a three-day indigenous fair operated through a barter system.

5. A cruise down the mighty Brahmaputra river with its 19 bordering wildlife sanctuaries.

6. A visit to the Silk n Dye Festival in December at Kaziranga — where natural dyeing and traditional silk rearing are promoted. And more such thrills.

A major part of Julie’s work is inking the right partnerships with the locals of the Northeast so that both city folk and artisans can benefit from the packages.

A keystone of the tour package is the opportunity to live in homestays, take part in weaving demonstrations, language classes by the locals, cooking classes, boat rides, and more. “We promote the rural economy all the way,” Julie notes.