How Pradyumna’s Life Changed After His Mother Nudged Him to be a Trek Leader

“When I was a kid, during summer holidays, my mom used to go on Himalayan treks. I never went with her. I didn’t have much interest.

It was only in 8th grade that she took me on my first ever trek near Bangalore. It was a small hike. I remember we started trekking in the dark, to be able to catch the sunrise from the top.

When I saw that sunrise after putting in all the effort, I felt something I had never felt before. It was so different!

After that, I started trekking with my mother almost every weekend.

Many years later, during my engineering, I was quite confused about what career path to take.

My mom stepped in here again. She had been a trekker with Indiahikes and had seen many Trek Leaders there. When she told me to read more about Indiahikes, I trusted her advice and went on to do that.

I was really taken in by the work they were doing. I didn’t know if they would take someone as young as me but I applied with my fingers crossed.

Luckily, I got selected. It was purely my mother's push and encouragement to be in the trekking world, especially at Indiahikes. That's how my journey began.

I have led about 49 groups in the Himalayas so far. Given how values-driven we are at Indiahikes, my work did not come easy to me. It took me a while to imbibe all the values and take them further to our trekkers.

But if there’s one thing that I can vouch for in this journey, it's that I have grown into a better person.

I was once a hardcore non-vegetarian, where not a single day went without chicken. Now, inspired by my colleagues and with a deep understanding of sustainability, I have turned vegan.

I was also a smoker at the time when I joined Indiahikes. I didn’t look at fitness as something important. But our core value of looking at fitness as a lifestyle changed me. It’s been 1.5 years and I haven’t touched a cigarette.

The path might have been difficult for me to follow initially, but my reason for doing what I am doing was so strong that it didn’t shake my spirit.

It has helped me grow from a Trek Leader to an Assistant Slope Manager and now, a Slope Manager.

Adapting our core values truly in my own life is when I started growing exponentially at Indiahikes.

This growth wouldn’t have happened if I didn’t make the effort to first become a good Trek Leader, who embodied our values, and of course, if my mom did not help me understand where my true potential lies.”

- Pradyumna CR, Slope Manager at Indiahikes