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About RealityToursandTravel
Two Friends, One Vision:
Tourism for Good
Founded in 2005 by Chris Way and Krishna Pujari, Reality Tours & Travel began with the launch of the first Educational Slum Tour in Dharavi, one of Asia’s largest slums. Chris and Krishna aimed to raise awareness about life in slums, challenge negative stereotypes, and fund local community projects with 80% of post-tax profits from the tours. What started as a single tour has since grown into a leading socially responsible tourism company that showcase real India and give back to local communities. Watch Krishna share the inspiring founding story at TEDx.
MILESTONES
The Reality Tours & Travel Story
2002 | A Chance Encounter
Krishna was working at a restaurant in Mumbai when he first met Chris, a traveler from the UK. The next day, they crossed paths again at a park, where Chris was hoping to join a cricket match. Krishna invited him to play, and they quickly became friends. Two years later, after returning from Brazil where he had taken a favela tour, Chris shared with Krishna his idea for an educational walking tour in Dharavi, Mumbai’s largest slum. He believed that, with the right approach, slum tours could become a powerful force for local development.
2005 | The First Dharavi Slum Tour
While Chris’s initial idea seemed challenging— no one had ever done slum tours in India—the two friends began to turn it into a reality. They founded Reality Tours & Travel in August 2005, but the first Dharavi tour didn’t run until January 2006. Convincing people to visit a slum wasn’t easy: hotels wouldn’t partner with us because we didn’t pay commissions, and people were skeptical of flyers promoting slum tours. Despite only having 367 visitors in 2006, we remained determined. We knew Dharavi was a fascinating place, and the tour was crucial for raising awareness.
2007 | Opening a Community Centre
The feedback from our early tours was overwhelmingly positive. Our big break came in 2007 when Lonely Planet featured us in their guidebook, which helped spread the word about our mission. Motivated by our long-term vision, we began community work that same year, even though we were not yet profitable. After assessing Dharavi’s needs, we learned that education for children was a top priority. In response, we opened our first Community Centre, offering English classes. Soon after, we expanded to include computer classes, further supporting the community’s growth.
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