Today, we wish to introduce to you all the story of a beautiful, smart, ambitious and energetic woman. Having born with Left Hemiparesis – minor paralysis on the left side of the body, she never let that demotivate her or affect her goals. Recently she decided to quit her corporate role to pursue the cause of Inclusion full time, and we can’t help but applaud that move. From dancing Bharatanatyam, running marathons and traveling in local Mumbai trains to excelling in academics and management, she is unstoppable when it comes to achieving something she has her mind set on. Recognized as a young woman achiever across all walks of life by Wonders of Women, Bangalore in 2015 – Madhumitha Venkataraman.
The Mumbai Connection
Every city you live in definitely plays an integral role in shaping you. Mumbai is where I have spent more than half of my life. A large part of my education and my first job was there, though I was traveling a lot. Mumbai has a lot of energy to it and a never-say-die attitude. While traveling by local train, one does see a lot of different types of people – the fisher-women, people playing cards, ladies going to work and also chopping vegetables in the train, people with different types of disabilities to name a few.
While everyone is living their own lives in Mumbai, there is a sense of oneness and collaboration even in that journey. If you have a sudden problem, they would definitely reach out and then after helping, go back to what they were doing. I love the city.
Madhumitha Venkataraman And Her Work Principles
As clichéd as it might sound, there is really no substitute for hard work. I have always believed in giving it my best shot and working very hard on everything I do. The other thing is to follow your heart and work on something you are really passionate about, even if is largely un-chartered. Following your passion and feeling very happy in what you do is fundamental for you to be able to give it your best shot. Keeping conversations open and honest, whether it’s with your team or your manager is something one must do. Trust and respect is built that way and that’s very important.
Making India Inclusive from An Individual Level
Inclusion is fundamentally a mindset and so it starts with each individual. Each of us need to understand that there are different definitions of the term ‘normal’ and no definition is right or wrong. Understanding that there are different ways of being and living, being open, and accepting people for who they are is the first step. There are people and organizations doing a lot of work in this space and it truly is awesome to see that. However, these are only a handful of people – more and more people in their day-to-day life need to question discrimination and exclusion, and raise their voice against it.
To Make An Impact And Feed The Cycle Of Change
Currently, I am working in the area of diversity and inclusion, with NGOs, social enterprises, corporate organizations in spaces of gender, disability, LGBTIQA and senior citizens. I am working with Unfold, for example, in the space of building second careers for retirees and for homemakers, which is largely un-chartered but very important to look at. It has been very fulfilling – I felt happy when I was able to help a large organization hire a transgender person in partnership with Inharmony and InnerSight. The person is remarkable and settling in beautifully. It is lovely to see that all the stakeholders are looking to further build on this.
Recently, I did a workshop with Intuit on creativity and inclusion in collaboration with The Colour Company, GiftAbled, Samarthanam and Chesire. The workshop had team members from Intuit work with persons with disabilities to create beautiful glass bottles and it was a great learning experience for all involved. So many different organizations collaborating can be difficult at times, but how else do you create magic together? It was beautiful!
I am also studying and understanding the nuances of this subject – learning sign language from Chandrashekhar Institute of Speech and Hearing Impairment, and I recently certified on a course on disability, sexuality and gender from CREA. There are so many intersectionalities and yet it is fundamentally about human life. The idea really is to make an impact wherever I can and that will continue in any capacity that I work.
Support From Parents, Friends And Companies
I have been truly blessed with parents, friends, mentors and colleagues who have never treated me as special or different. They have always been encouraging and lending me support, without making it obvious. It would have been very difficult for me to take a break from a full-time corporate role and plunge into inclusion, had it not been for my parents.
These days, when I work with different diversity groups, I often come across varying levels of exclusion, sometimes terrible for the individual going through it. I have never had to face that with any of the organizations I was working with – Edelweiss, Mercer, GE and Snapdeal. Also, I have got great opportunities; to be able to work with Interweave—an organization which has been in the space of diversity and inclusion for over a decade —is great. To get to learn and work with GiftAbled in the space of disability and learn so much about volunteering is equally wonderful. I hope this support which I have had continues.