Venkata Reddy Y

Founder

Biography

I am Venkata Reddy well known as Venkee, the founder of HTC. My story is testament to my confidence in the will of people to travel and experience the world… It is the story that clean fun can be delivered with honesty, morals and love... That nature can be enjoyed without alcohol and other vices. That every place has a soul that can be felt by the ones who reach for it. I built HTC to take people from one world to another…To transform us all through this journey, one at a time… With uncountable such from 2011, the company has been nothing less than wonderful….

The trail of HTC is not about places; it’s about people. It is of the people who trekked with us, the ones who cheered, the ones associated with us, those who built it with their leadership, those who invested their faith in the company and the ones who continue to love each one of us that makes HTC what it is. More over the company transformed itself from a small group of enthusiasts to the best in adventure tourism! Thanks to the courage and zeal of our trekkers, increasingly intriguing itineraries are being developed. Every day HTC churns new possibilities and tries to reach out to millions more across the country.

A FAIRY TALE OF HTC THROUGH MY EYES

‘How much more?’ The young man asked the lead ahead.’15 minutes’ the reply came and walked steadily into the depths of Papikondalu. The reply, although a lie, is professional.

‘Where do we sleep?’ The lady wondered aloud in freezing winds and a steady rain atop Jindhagada. ‘Right here. You’ll be warm and alright’ said he, put up a leeward tent and kept his word.

‘I am too lazy‘ said the newbie trekker. The lead did not reply. He knew that it was better to let the Sonki flowers take over. The newbie ran through the hill forts of Rajgad and Torna, smiling all the way.

I have travelled 12 years with stories as such, week after week. 4000 + treks, thousands of individual adventures later, when someone may think that the stories are all nothing new anymore, I get 10 unique responses to trekking at Tambdi Surla. And everytime we hike our dear Khajaguda next door, we are filled with a love for the rocks and an awe at witnessing the courage of many. A few come back to tell us how we have changed lives for the better, I reckon we are too young for it but we’ll take it. Once a person, smitten by our commitment, offered one of my leads a desk job – ‘You are so well qualified, I can get you a good job‘ It surely pays better but he refused. To understand why, you must keep reading just a bit more – less than 15 minutes.

When a young IIT-ian crawled solo through a tricky cave at Gandikota while on her first trek, I knew not to stop her and she continues to amaze the world to this day. That I was the first to witness that spark makes me proud. When one of our leads set sight on the highest peaks of continents, Hyderabad Trekking Company had shown him a way. He is right now probably over Kilimanjaro for the 10th time. Such are the souls that inspire us to continue our efforts and be the platform to express themselves.

All our adventurers, big and small, are sportsmen who inspire the people around us. Sadly in our high-pressure society, there are very few who can hold forte and guide. That is why, the greatest treasure of HTC are our leads. They know what to say and the power of silence. They sure know when to give in and when not to. They are honed by years of hardships, words, ingenuity and necessity. They have chosen a life of injury, physical labour and responsibility, unlike their peers.

HTC preserves and cherishes these amazing leads. It is a fact that HTC is the only one keeping up the ideals of a trek free from cigarettes, alcohol and substance abuse. We are proud of the fact that our events went 100 percent safe for all trekkers, including numerous women, elderly, introverts, specially-abled, and children. Yet we all walked the hard miles together to the tops of hills. We put discipline before business and built trust without a fake smile. This is only possible because of a firm conviction that lead our hikes every step of every week of the year. And each step of theirs is ably assisted by our office staff. Today, I, Venkee, the founder of HTC, salute all my leaders for their never ending passion, commitment and professionalism.

It has been mostly an uphill hike for HTC, but we’ve got the best company. Years of hiking together and in groups honed a unique perspective for each of our leads. When I ask them to communicate, they know exactly what to say. That comes with invaluable tough experiences. The sound that I have learned to appreciate more over the years is not the chirping leafbirds in the forest but the smooth silence of my knees and that of my trek leaders. I occasionally ask my leaders,’ Would you like something more?,’… after a few seconds, every single time, they would reply – ‘How about this new trek?’ I am proud to say that my leads, my friends, dream the world with their eyes opened and that is all we have seen these 12 years. We strive to see more and share these worlds with all. Now you probably understand why we worked so hard and continue to do so!

I thank everyone who has been a part of our journey. I specially thank those who built up courage to walk with us.

Once, a teenager came up to me and offered a biscuit. ‘Why now? We can have it later when we rest,’ I tried to stop unnecessary breaks to momentum. ‘Venkee , I climbed this mountain no, so…’ she looked back proudly pointing to the little hillock we passed by. ‘Ya, we did. Just a bit more to go,’ I replied taking the biscuit in hand. ‘How much more?’ She asked. ‘15 minutes‘ 😉

Chronology

2011-Present

Founder , HTC

2019

Founder, Happy Hikes

2007-2012

UX Designer