Reflecting life through sports

Playing in the sunrise software-driven electric bike sector, former corporate executive Raghu Kerakatty, co-founder and CEO, Toutche, and a first-generation entrepreneur hopes to bring a change in e-transportation. He has since transitioned from his 20+ years of global corporate life with Cognizant, Microsoft, AWS, Google, Sonata, and NIIT Technologies (Coverage). UK-based Raghu has bridged his native Mysore to the global markets, co-founding his startup in 2015-16. He has manoeuvred through turbulent times at work, but his affinity for sports and an active life gave him the perspectives to strike a valuable work-life balance

Raghu Kerakatty

Fitness had always been more a way of life from school days, and it’s always taken shape in the form of sports. It was also about making do with what we have and playing any sport, be it a makeshift hockey or if we didn’t have a cricket bat on a particular day, using the stumps or playing tennis with your hand if we didn’t have a bat or stumps or a ground, we turned it into a football game. So, it was always about playing some sports,” said Raghu Kerakatty, co-founder and CEO, Toutche, a micro-mobility startup aimed to position e-bikes as lifestyle companions.

Schooling Fitness Fundamentals

Raghu acknowledges his school in Mysore for the good sports facilities and the sporting culture inculcated in him in the early days. “That is when whole active lifestyle element came into being. But, as I grew, sports also needed me to kind of have a bit more strength to perform better”, said Raghu.

His idea of fitness is not attached firmly to gym workouts but has included the gym on and off in his fitness sprints.

“There was some sort of a sports regime in my school days. In 8th or 9th grade, it was more about building some basic strength. During my teens and probably hitting my twenties, I did get to a gym, which had the dual impact of building strength and became a part of my life. I worked to keep myself strong and fit, hand in hand with sports, ” he said.

However, sports took a brief backseat once he completed his under graduation and during his MBA days which slowly skewed towards a rigorous corporate career. “I did minimal sports or activity in IIM-Bangalore, as the course was quite gruelling. But although I did take out time, it was comparatively less sporty in comparison to the early days,” he added.

Gearing Back

The thirties brought back a fitness dimension as Raghu immersed himself in his corporate life in the tech sector, especially in the UK and Europe. During his stint in the UK and his late twenties, he could engage more regularly with sports once again. He returned to sports from 2009–2010 until 2017 and considers it his most active state of fitness.

His UK posting since 2004 allowed him to connect with his professional friends and into friendly and competitive league cricket tournaments over the weekends. He began outdoor treks and added a bit of hockey to his sporting encounters.

“The treks were to explore new places in the UK but became enjoyable with my group, opening my life a lot more than what it was. I had more reasons to get up daily and looked forward to new things than just my corporate life,” said Raghu.

He has since picked up golf as he got older and attributed sports to improving his physical strength and fitness, which has worked the best for him.

Mind Matters

Like many in the high-strung tech-led corporate world, Raghu too had his tumultuous phase and setbacks in his professional life.

It was a phase where he gradually resorted to his sports regime and had gained the clarity to venture out and begin his entrepreneurial journey with time.

“It is all linked to you, as everybody wants to do well, so when you are engaged in any sort of physical activity, it helps to build a bit of strength and an important aspect is that it can make you feel a lot better,” he said.

Raghu attributes sports to building a sharper mind and a productive work-life balance. “An active lifestyle enables one to take a good decision, and in many leadership roles, people need to have a very clear head to make the right decisions,” said Raghu.

"I have always believed sports, as the main driver for an active lifestyle. If you are playing some sports at whatever level, that is far better than doing anything else or nothing. It also keeps you mentally in a better shape"

Daily Dose

Raghu reiterates that the gym need not be the only place where people can exercise and believes that it is essential for us to understand our physical constitution and our inclination for the chosen fitness regime.

“I have always believed sports, as the main driver for an active lifestyle. If you are playing some sports at whatever level, that is far better than doing anything else or nothing. It also keeps you mentally in a better shape,” he said.

Raghu has clearly defined his summer and winter activities that balance his indoor and outdoor regimes in sync with the British weather. He engages in sports twice a week and is more active during the UK summertime. He is particular about playing a round of golf every week. He alternates his weekends with either golf or cricket. “People think golf is a very inactive sport, but it can be quite gruelling,” he said.

A summer weekend potentially is a day of cricket on Sundays that ends up with a social gathering after the game or a game of golf up to the morning on Saturdays.

During the winters, he has to push himself a little more for an outdoor round of golf. But, irrespective of the changing seasons, between his work or at the end of the day, Raghu indulges in a 30-40 minutes daily routine out in the open, either as a leisure walk or just a stroll as he attends his phone.

“Because I play sports, maybe I want to play it well, so I devote 20-25 minutes of body workout 4-5 times a week at home,” he said. Cycling is another choice, and he advocates a blend of sporting activities to keep up the tempo of an active life.

Raghu’s Regime

Irrespective of the pandemic scenario, Raghu’s exercise routine begins with stretches as part of warm-ups in the first 15-20 mins in the morning, preferably in the fresh air. In the post-Covid era, his weekdays have been a combination of work-from-home schedules and a few days at his Central London office. And, like most Londoners, he treks up to the Tube station, which is about 1.1 miles away from his house and a brisk 17 minute walk.

“Sometimes, twice in the week, I play golf at the nearby golf course from home, for almost around two to two-and-a-half hours, sometimes it is impromptu once at least on a weekday, especially when I feel a little stressed out.

However, the pre-Covid days enabled more activities, including regular gym workouts adding group dynamics to fitness. “There were trainer-based activities, and as a group, we worked around some common goals and kept each other motivated. We indulged in outdoor activities, and the sports aspect was a little more than what it is now or during the Covid peak period”, said Raghu.

Fitness Mantras

Being active has to come from an early age. Children should be encouraged to be out and about, play, and be very active.

The brain co-relates very positively to physical activity, and it is a lot sharper when an individual is physically active.

Exercise does not necessarily mean going to the gym but choosing one’s own appropriate fitness or sports activity.