Hellen Keller once said, “Alone, we can do so little; together, we can do so much.” Well-structured, productive, and healthy communities bring out the best in people. Meet Rituraj Vasant Karthik, a community builder making it easy for people to explore their dreams through his community called “Hyderabad Kites.” Karthik dons multiple hats. He is a marathon runner, cyclist, social activist, adventure lover, and community leader.
Karthik shared his life story with HatkeStory, which is nothing short of brilliant. Today, the “Hyderabad Kites” Team actively supports 26 different communities across various interest areas. Be it music, dance, lake restoration, running, photography, cycling, and what not!
How was the Childhood of Rituraj Vasant Karthik?
Rituraj Vasant Karthik – 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 was a very timid child. 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 organizer 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 my school’s Annual Day called Kakatiya in Bheemavaram. Apart from dance, I used to spend time on pencil sketching as a hobby actively. Social Science was my favorite subject in school.
What are Hyderabad Kites?
Rituraj Vasant Karthik – 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 to discuss 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 shared thinking.
Why the name Hyderabad Kites?
Rituraj Vasant Karthik – I loved making kites from newspapers and distributed them among my friends when I was a kid. 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.
You are an active marathon runner. What led you to start a runner’s community?
Rituraj Vasant Karthik – 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 on Nov 16th, 2014, when I met with a significant 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 severe fractures in my ribs and significant damage to my leg. I lost a significant 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 enthusiastic about changing their lifestyles.
How has running changed you as a person?
Rituraj Vasant Karthik – 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 two years. I compensate nutrients with other types of food as they say you are what you eat. Our daily food habits significantly 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, a 42 km Full marathon, and a 50 km endurance ride, to name a few.
Where do you get your inspiration from?
Rituraj Vasant Karthik – 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.
How you improved your soft skills?
Rituraj Vasant Karthik – 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 if channeled into positive energy, opposing forces can make a lot of difference in our lives. To turn negativity in life into positivity, one needs activity.
What are your achievements?
Rituraj Vasant Karthik – I am proud of the successful Fund Raisers that we organized for a noble cause. “DANCE 4 Ayushi by Shravs” and “Music 4 Pavan” were fundraising events to raise funds to treat these kids who were suffering from leukemia. We also gathered funds as part of the “we 4 Kerala” campaign.
Apart from this, we got widespread support from people across Hyderabad for our social initiatives. I am a good cook. So, I made lemon rice at home and we as a community distributed food packets along with the blankets to the homeless in winter. You can connect with us and follow our work on social media.
https://www.facebook.com/hydkites
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Very Nice and inspired Blog and Karteek is Great soul.