Overcoming odds with passion and determination

Hyderabad-based Rituraj Vasant Karthik is a community builder who is making it easy for people to explore their dreams through his community called "Hyderabad Kites". He is a marathon runner, cyclist, social activist, adventure lover and above all a community leader. The 'Hyderabad Kites' team actively supports 26 different communities across various interest areas. Be it music, dance, lake restoration, running, photography, cycling, etc.

What is Hyderabad Kites? Hyderabad Kites is a passionate exploration group that helps you explore your dreams. It is a platform for every community and every doer. We participate in tea (Think, Enable and Act) meets for discussions on topics like stress, addiction and how to tackle them. We currently support 26 different communities. We believe that goals are more easily reachable when we explore our dreams together as a community.

Here, every member is a leader. We compare ourselves to ourselves. Hyderabad kites have many verticals based on the particular group's passion and common thinking.

When asked why name as Hyderabad Kites he said "The stronger the thread, the higher the kite can fly. I believe the Kite's thread is like our skills and the kite itself is like our dreams. Every person has a unique skill and there is a need for a platform to help people pursue their passion. We direct people to the right communities to pursue their passion.

Hence the name Hyderabad Kites. Sharing his journey with Young Hans Karthik said: "I was born and brought up in a place called Undrajavaram, Andhra Pradesh. My father is a doctor and mom is a health supervisor. I spent most of my childhood confined to the Govt. quarters within the hospital premises where my parents worked.

I was put in a hostel when I was in my 7th class. I used to have an inferiority complex when I initially joined the hostel. However, the leader and organiser in me sprouted from my passion for dance. I loved performing on Chiranjeevi's songs trying to copy his dance moves. I got my first recognition for a dance performance on the occasion of the Annual Day of my school called Kakatiya in Bheemavaram. Apart from dance, I used to actively spend time on pencil sketching as a hobby. Social Science was my favourite subject at school."

On starting a runner's community

'There is nothing better than doing what we love. I always wanted to do something different. After graduation, I started my career as a sales engineer for air conditioners.

I later pursued digital marketing and was a digital marketing instructor at an institute. A tragic accident in 2014 was the stepping stone to my journey to become a marathon runner. It was a late night of Nov 16th, 2014 when I met with a major accident. A lorry hit my bike while I was traveling to meet a friend. My kids and my wife flashed in my mind and I was desperately shouting for help on the road.

I suffered serious fractures in my ribs and major damage to my leg. I lost a major chunk of muscle on my leg. The Doctor said I was pre-diabetic and they would have to amputate my leg if it doesn't heal. That is when I started taking care of my health. I couldn't imagine a life without a leg given my passion for dance. I started walking every day despite the bleeding. I did everything I could to keep myself healthy, pure and fit.

It took me two years to become fit to run a marathon. There was no looking back after that! I started a running community when I found a group of people who were enthusiastic to change their lifestyle. Running has taught me to wake up early in the morning. I have a fair knowledge of what to eat and overall good lifestyle habits. I used to weigh over 110 kg when I met with the accident. I haven't had white rice in 2 years.

I compensate for nutrients with other types of food. You are what you eat. Our daily food habits greatly affect our mental state as well.

I have completed 1000 km of running in less than a year and 120 km of barefoot running. I completed 10 km runs 25 times, 42 km Full marathon, and 50 km endurance ride to name a few." says Karthik.

His sources of inspiration

I take inspiration from people like Prasad Wadeppally (clocked 10,000 km on his cycle in 100 days), Vijay P (Founder of Self Actualizers group in Hyderabad), Gangadhar Panday (President of Babul Film Society NGO), Dheeraj Surapaneni (Founder of Hyderabad Adventure & Trekker's club) and many more.

I continuously self-evaluate to improve myself.

I used to volunteer and attend classes at Sri Sathya Sai trust to improve my soft skills. Many people want to do Social service, but can't because money is necessary to drive things.

I used to visit orphanages and rehabilitation centers where I understood the power of communities. I observed that negative forces if channeled into positive energy, can make a lot of difference in our lives. To turn Negativity to positivity, there is a need for activity. Raja Rao Bole is the coach and trainer for runners he also helps visually challenged runners.