My name is Madhav and I was born 35 years ago into an army background, to extremely dedicated and caring parents, Col AK Jayachandran a seasoned army officer and Mrs Kanchana, a teacher and academician, both of whom worked tremendously hard in their professions.
As proud parents, they believed in providing a sound foundation in education for my brother and I and put great emphasis on our holistic development.
As a child, I was a powerhouse of energy and vitality; it seemed like nothing could stop me. While I was always buzzing with happiness, my mother observed some interesting patterns with my academic performance. I was struggling with writing and reading.
Oral recitations were never a problem but when it came to writing and spelling, I was struggling. I still remember dreading sitting for dictation tests at school as this was an immense challenge. In fact, the one word that was my personal nemesis was, 'Banana'. For the love of God, I never knew how many ‘A’s were in this simple word!
The education system at the time, especially my teachers, were not equipped to decipher what the problem was (it was the mid-90s and the system was extremely rigid and standardized) and so I was labelled a slow learner and even a 'duffer' by some teachers.
Thankfully, my mother did not lose hope and, as a result of her extensive research, I was finally diagnosed with a combination of severe dyslexia and ADHD – a tricky combination, to say the least.
Meanwhile, my life at school was becoming increasingly complicated. On top of the dyslexia and ADHS, I had also developed a speech impediment. My confidence was at an all-time low. At such a young age, my life appeared to be in shambles. I just could not fathom what was happening to me, and so I took solace in food. Soon enough, the weight piled on and the next thing I knew, I had become an obese child.
Despite all of this, my mother did not give up on me and instead, she started teaching me at home. She enrolled herself in classes and requalified as a Special Educator to help me overcome my learning disorders. With her care, love and relentless guidance and our joint willpower and dedication, we slowly and steadily made significant progress. By the time I was 18, we had successfully tackled the majority of the disorders without using any medication. Armed with a new-found confidence, I was ready for the next phase of my life.
My love for food and serving people enabled me to pursue a career in the hospitality industry as a sous chef with ITC Hotels Limited. At ITC, I honed my skills and was fortunate to have the opportunity to hobnob with the finest of the finest in India – accomplished leaders in hospitality management, renowned chefs, celebrities and VIP guests. It was here that I discovered my ability to make genuine connection with a diverse range of people. This realization led to my next adventure where I moved to the Middle East to work with the national carrier of the UAE as an Aviation Hospitality specialist and trainer.
This is where my passion for travel and training came to life. The opportunity to travel to over 50 countries was both, an exhilarating and a humbling experience. It quenched my wanderlust.
The opportunity to train people always made me feel alive and at the same time gave me a sense of purpose and direction.
As someone who always likes to explore different avenues, I expanded my comfort zone next and took part in an International pageant, the Mr International UAE 2022 where, by God's grace I was awarded the First Runner’s Up title.
This opened multiple other doors including acting,
anchoring and presenting.
I truly believe that our time here on Earth is short and we must explore diverse paths and face all kinds of challenges in order to grow and make the most of it.
The key takeaway from my story is that there is nothing that cannot be achieved with commitment, discipline and perseverance. There is no obstacle that cannot be overcome; no adversity, hurdle or mountain that cannot be conquered. Anything is possible if one truly believes in themselves. I would be eternally grateful if my personal journey can inspire even one single person to make a positive change in their life.
All of us have a hero within us – just waiting to be unleashed!
Thank you.