Meet Our Team
Rajiv Kumar
CEO
Rajiv is Growth Catalyst, Startup Enthusiast, and a Multi-tasker, with a strong eye for details, with over two decades of experience in Business, Strategic Alliances, Startups, Content, Branding and Technology Transfer. An Electronics Engineer from BIT Mesra and Masters in International Management and Global market exposure of over a decade, he has strengthened the thought “Think Global Act Local”. Rajiv founded Reach India, with a vision to bring global technologies to India and make them available for people at large. He has a proven track record of working with global clients and customer acquisition across the planet, over multi lingual and cultural business negotiations. Rajiv supports one India belief and is working actively to create a platform through which service offerings touches people from all walks of life. With Snow Marathon Lahaul, Rajiv’s vision is to create a Global Running Event in India and offer top of the line experience, which touches people from all walks of life, using successful global business strategies with local flavour. Rajiv is driven by his passion and vision to create a Global Platform for different events in the space of Adventure, Technology, Food and Leisure to touch one and all.
Gaurav Schimar
Event Founder
The Founder of Snow Marathon Lahaul, is an Adventure Travel Journalist, Photographer, Travel and Expeditions Organiser and a Himalayan Specialist – Gaurav Schimar – is well known as the Founder of Indian Sub-continent’s 1st Adventure Travel Magazine – Explore the Unexplored. He organises select expeditions and thematic events in the Himalayas, including in the remotest and unexplored ecologically fragile and sensitive mountain ecosystems. He is also the Founder and Organiser of the World’s Highest Long Distance Endurance Cycling Race, the Manali-Khardungla Cycling Championship. With Snow Marathon Lahaul, and other such events to follow, he is aiming to set up an example of following and leading Ecologically Sensitive Adventure and Nature-Based Travel. As an Explorer of sorts – he strongly believes and advocates – that Life-Giving Mother Earth is at an immediate and perilous threat from Human Beings and the time to act is now, before it is too late.
Nakul Butta
Event Consultant and Training Partner
Nakul Butta is the founder and Head Coach at All In Running. He is an accomplished Indian amateur long distance road and trail runner and a certified marathon running coach. He has won several long distance races (ultra marathons, half marathons, trail races) and is a regular top finisher in major races around the country. He holds a Masters and Bachelors degree in Electrical Engineering from Texas A & M University, a top engineering university in the U.S. He has multiple years of corporate experience and has worked at several locations around the world. Nakul is also passionate about the environment, nature and the outdoors. He pursues this passion by spending hours running on trails, some of which is in the Himalayas. He now wants to share this passion and love for the outdoors with members of the running community.
Rajesh Chand
Event Execution Head
Rajesh, the founder of Golddrop Adventures, has been promoting adventure and cultural tourism in Lahaul valley and Himalayas and Trans-Himalayas for over 15 years now. A resident of Sissu, which is a beautiful village in Lahaul, he comes with a young and dynamic team in all spheres of mountain works and is blessed with strong people management skill. He and his team are always there to help those in need. While his hospitality operations are vital, with a strong presence on the Manali-Leh highway, the team’s rescue operations have been a life saver to innumerable travellers. Be it people who are caught up in unpredictable weather or in road blocks caused by nature’s design, Rajesh is always there to help. He’s also been promoting Himachali way of life, be it the art forms or folk music or the cuisine. His journey continues on a daily basis to promote the Himalayan landscapes and its vibrant culture. In Snow Marathon Lahaul, Rajesh brings his immense expertise of the outdoor sports and adventure world to the front.
Lt Col Bhuwan Khare
Event Advisor
Lt Col Bhuwan Khare who is the Event Advisor for Snow Marathon Lahaul, serves in the Indian Army, is a Specialised ‘Skiitrooper’ and a High Altitude Warfare Commando. He has represented India in number of International events and also has coached Indian Olympic teams, represented in Worlds, Olympic Qualifier and has been a National Judge for a decade. He is Qualified in High Altitude and Sea Survival Techniques and is a Life Saver under RLSSI (Rashtriya Life Saving Society India). He has been organising secretary of a number of National and Open events. Designation.
Col J.S. Dhillon SM**, CoAS
Principal Advisor
Snow Marathon Lahaul is being organised under the guidance of highly-able aegis of a Highly Decorated Veteran Soldier – Col J.S. Dhillon – who is working with the Ministry of Tourism, Govt. of India and is the President, Winter Games Federation of India (WGFI). He is a renowned mountaineer who has 22 Himalayan Peaks to his credit and is the longest serving Principal of the National Mountaineering and Skiing Institutes, like Himalayan Mountaineering Institute (HMI), Darjeeling and was also a Joint Director of AAW (Army Adventure Wing), during which tenure three expeditions above 26,000 ft were successfully conducted and has been the longest serving Principal of Indian Institute of Skiing and Mountaineering (IISM), Gulmarg. He also conceived, planned and trained Army Women and NCC Girls Expedition, who successfully climbed Mt Everest in 2005, which put the 1st Ladakhi Girl – Ms Tsering Ladhol – on Mt Everest.
Colonel Arun Natrajan
Chief Event Advisor
Col Arun Natrajan is a serving Army Aviator and an adventure enthusiast who has over 6000 hours of operational flying experience in all variants of the aircraft held with Indian Army including the Rudra attack helicopters. As a member of a select core team, he has trial evaluated and ensured the successful induction of Twin Engine Helicopters in the Indian Army and has flown in all terrains including the Siachen Glacier. He has flown as an Operational Pilot during Op Vijay. A familiar face at all National and International events including the Republic Day Parade Flypasts and Aero India International Airshow displays, he has enthusiastically encouraged and actively supported such adventure initiatives all through his career in the Indian Army. His experience in the world of outdoor sports and particularly running in varied topography and conditions is vital as the Chief Event Advisor for Snow Marathon Lahaul and he is himself an avid marathoner, having participated in over 20 Half and Full Marathons over the years.
Yusuf Uz Zaman
PR and Media Head
Yusuf is a stellar Communications Strategist based in India. Owing to his rich experience of over 23 years with various reputed PR Agencies like Rediffusion DYR, Beehive Priority, Clea & Abacus, he understands intricacies of an efficacious communications campaign. Bolstering brand perception, rationalising media vehicles, designing TAE Events, delivering optimal communication goals; thereby maximising ROI is a result of heading various communication campaigns for such highoctane brands as Bharti Airtel, Oracle, Hinduja Brothers, LG, Aditya Birla Group, Flipkart, Government of Bihar, ICC, Jaipur Literature Festival, Seagrams, Zee MediaCorp, Dabur, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Audi, Future Group, Mahindra, WWF, Jodhpur Rajasthan International Folk Festival, across India and Middle East, during his long tenure in the Industry. Yusuf has developed brand communication strategies for various organisations. He also creates, develops and curates various Large Format Target Audience Engagement Programs in the field of Art and Culture, Sports and Social Responsibility arena.
Prasanna Kr. Srivastava
Entrepreneur
Prasanna is an astute writer, entrepreneur and co-founder of Clean Future website and SunMaxx Solar products. He is a proponent of sustainable energy and has written articles on a variety of issues spanning from technologies in renewable energy to electric vehicles, storage, waste management, sustainability, and water management. He holds a dual master’s degree (MBA and Psychology) and is also a computer programmer. He has worked on “World Bank and Earth Day Network” projects and events in India and has been instrumental in Successfully executing close to 150 events in a span of just two years.
Manoj Mirupa
Execution Member
Manoj who hails from Sissu, Lahaul, is a Bachelors of Art from Himachal Pradesh University. He is an avid sports person and a very knowledgeable and experienced guide in Lahaul Valley. He has worked for five years in Quality Control of Atal Tunnel, ensuring the tunnel had no technical flaws. He is always helpful to one and all and is highly active in all kind of social and ecological activities in the region.