I now walk into the wild…

After having an amazing journey with D. E. Shaw & Arcesium for six years, I am now shifting to the wilderness. 🧗‍♂️ Trek leader will be my new job title & 🏔️ Himalayas will be my new address.

Lately, people have been asking me many questions about this, for some it was Why did I take such an odd decision at the peak of IT career?, for some it was What motivated me to take such bold step? So here I am, giving you a sneak peak into my new life for all curious folks 🙂

LIFESTYLE 🧘‍♂️

I always wanted to follow a natural, minimalist, green & active healthy lifestyle. I can get this all nowhere better than in the wilderness. As a trek leader, I will be mostly living in the tents and trekking to the high altitude, I will be able to live a life with simplicity and frugality. I cannot imagine a better lifestyle for the best of my physical & mental health. ⛰️

LEARNING 🐒

Nature is the best teacher and also, nature is the best setting in which one can best seek knowledge. I am a knowledge hungry person and I am really looking forward to learn from the nature itself & from other people in the outdoors.💡

IMPACT 🌲 😇

There is not better time than this to realize that we must take big steps to take care of our environment to save ourselves from any more disasters & epidemics. Powerful initiatives at Indiahikes like Green Trails & Sustainability Champions gives me (and everyone) an opportunity to really make a difference. 🌲

Also, I see around a large number of people today are not really happy in today’s fast paced lifestyle. It will be a great opportunity for me to educate trekkers more about nature & natural lifestyle, lead by example & leave a life changing impact on trekkers. 😇

WORK 🧗‍♂️

High altitude trekking is favorite adventure & is a perfect Type 2 fun for me. Many might think I am going for trek leading to be able to trek across Himalayas, but the truth is that.. it is work after all. However, here the work adds meaning to my life. Indiahikes is the best value based organizations I ever got to know and its values are aligned perfectly with mine. 🤸‍♂️

I am super excited to thrive in this new role, new lifestyle & new phase of my life. Wish me luck 🙏 & lets trek together sometime.

I now walk into the wild… 🥳

Given the current scenario of COVID-19, I am looking for freelance development work for couple of months till I join this next job when the situation settles down. Let me know if you have any website / app development work of any kind, and share the word with others.

Thanks!

Wilderness movies and documentaries to watch

Below is list of my favorite outdoor related entertainment content. Let me know, in comments, if you want me to suggest anything to try and add in the list.

My top 5 picks

  • Into the wild
  • Free Solo
  • Valley Uprising
  • Meru
  • Mountain (Netflix)

+ Incredible Human And Animal Friendships
+ Oddest Friendships Between Animals

More to try

Documentaries on the Fauna and Forests of Karnataka

  1. Our Planet
  2. Dancing with the birds
  3. Night on Earth
  4. Untamed Romania
  5. Beak and Brain
  1. Wild Karnataka
    https://www.zoosofkarnataka.com/wild-karnataka
  2. The Unsung – A life at Bhadra Tiger Reserve
    https://youtu.be/hhleR81clus
    https://youtu.be/dAUfpcrL_rE
    https://youtu.be/Rszpqf0vTxk
  3. River terns of Bhadra
    https://youtu.be/JO4qHg2xwe4
  4. Daroji Bear Sanctuary
    https://youtu.be/HiTJiWXYlpo
  5. The Western Ghats of India
    https://youtu.be/7uPBKxODeh0
  6. Namaami Aranyaka – Honnavara Division
    https://youtu.be/ersBvr57oVI
  7. Aganashini
    https://youtu.be/N85N3JspPOE
    https://www.zoosofkarnataka.com/wild-karnataka
  8. A day at Mysore zoo
    https://youtu.be/MuB7HHeuNbc

How can YOU help in the fight against Coronavirus pandemic and why must you?

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic has already proven itself how bad it is & the predictions of its affect on lives & economy looks really bad. This is surely going to be one of deadliest event in mankind and it wont be possible for us to forget it. Your children/grandchildren may ask you questions about it many years later & you might not just want to tell what happened but also include what did you do to help others in the fight against this pandemic.

Following are few of the ways in which you can contribute. Let me know in the comments section if I can add anything else to the list, also share what all you found really useful & where all are you contributing.

SUPPORT THE COMMUNITY

Volunteer, volunteer volunteer

  1. Volunteer for govt (like in India – https://self4society.mygov.in/volunteer/)
  2. Work with Govt Organizations or NGO
  3. Support local community with group of friends
  4. Extend volunteer support individually

SUPPORT FINANCIALLY

Govt & local groups need money in this time. Few of such requirements in India includes PM Cares (central govt) & state govt funds. You can work in groups (with school / college friends, colleagues etc) to collect money, it works better this way.

SUPPORT IN YOUR AREA OF EXPERTISE

Technical people can help Open Source projects like covid19india.org

SUPPORT IN FIGHTING MIS-INFORMATION

Help in spreading awareness, providing true information & stop fake news from spreading.

MISCELLANEOUS

  • Spread positivity
  • Do some charity / any kind of contribution in this situation, you will feel good
  • Keep yourself busy & find creative ways to make best use of time
  • Ideate, Innovate & Implement new ideas
  • This is an opportunity to work on yourself, introspect & create plan for personal development

Offering voluntary support in Hyderabad amidst COVID-19 lockdown

The injustice doesn’t affect everyone equally and whilst we’re all at risk of covid-19, there are some people who are more vulnerable and need greater support from the community.

My name is Ram, I am here to offer my voluntary support to those in need.

  • If you need any help in procuring something (like medicines, daily essentials, urgent supplies etc), you can reach out to me.
  • Also, I am a trained First Aid Responder, so you can contact me for any kind of medical support/emergency.
  • If there is anything else I can do, dont hesitate to ask me. I will try my best to help you.

Contact info:

  • Phone: 818-696-2916
  • Address: Surya Residency, Kothaguda

Info on current situation:

Appeal to others who want to help:

The injustice doesn’t affect everyone equally and whilst we’re all at risk of covid-19, there are some people who are more vulnerable and need greater support from the community. If you feel you can extend support for such people, you can join hands with us.

We are trying to help vulnerable people in community who may have to self-isolate or quarantine, those who do not have family nearby, those who are part of a more-at-risk demographic including the elderly, disabled and people with other pre existing health issues.

Help could involve activities from running errands to the shops, to making phone calls, to providing a friendly voice of reassurance. Many people will feel anxious about coronavirus and local support groups can provide a vital boost to morale.

Share this info with others so it reaches the needy. It might be more useful if the situation worsens. Inspiration: https://covidmutualaid.org/

Himalayan Treks on Map

Below is the preview of custom map I created. It contains All major mountain peaks & most of Himalayan Treks offered by Indiahikes. If you want to play around with different views & options available on this map, click here to open the map on full screen.

Below is the preview of another custom map containing major Himalayan groups. If you want to play around with different views & options available on this map, click here to open the map on full screen.

I am still working on updating the maps & this post. Also watch out for new blog posts on Himalayas & Treks. You can follow my twitter account at https://twitter.com/ram_gurumukhi to keep updated.