This story narrates the awe-inspiring journey of Madhuri Vardhinedi, an accomplished entrepreneur and a renowned karate athlete, and was awarded the Black belt in Shotokan Karate at the age of 42. She co-founded Ennoble Technologies, an IT startup based out of Hyderabad in 2016, at the age of 38. She is an established orator too in Telugu and has helped edit the Telugu version of Amish Tripathi’s ‘The Secret of the Nagas’. As for her other interests, she is an avid music lover and a Carnatic classical singer. With her phenomenal skills and rock-strong determination, she successfully made a statement by breaking the stereotypes and overcoming various challenges in her life.
Unravel the inspiring journey of Madhuri Vardhinedi with Hyderabad Stories
When did you discover your passion for Karate?
Learning Karate was my childhood fantasy but could not pursue it then, as there were no academies in Hyderabad in the 1980s. Finally, I realized my dream in my 40s when I came across Taika Martial Arts Academy which is very close to my home in 2017, and then started my journey from being an Entrepreneur to becoming a National Level Karate Champion and a black belter in Karate. Under the tutelage of Grand Master Ashok Chakravarthi, I got myself transformed into a formidable Karate athlete.
How did you face the challenges accompanied by the success and failure in your life?
My life has never been easy. At every juncture of my life, I had to fight to live my life and to secure my future. My family stood with me during my turbulent journey. I underwent a major operation at the age of 30 following which I slipped into depression. My family stood with me through my thick and thin. I built my health that became brittle after I underwent a major inevitable operation. I fought clinical depression after discarding medication. My mental strength and strong resolve helped me come out of it. My professional journey too was eventful as I kept on losing jobs at regular intervals while I tried staying strong like a rock. During that turbulent phase, I continued acquiring knowledge as it always keeps me motivated and inspires me to set higher expectations.
Share with our readers one memorable anecdote in your journey so far.
The year 2014 was a remarkable year and a dark year of my life, simultaneously. I was fulfilling the responsibilities of an HR Head and a Quality Manager for an MNC when my fate laughed at me again. I was the best performer in the company that year and that feat was achieved in just 10 months after I joined i3 software. My employer sold his company to a global giant Ebix in December 2014 and under that business decision many of the non-IT employees lost their jobs and I was one of them. I felt betrayed and devastated by what happened to me. I decided not to look for another job in India as I felt I would be humiliating myself if I reach out to someone again for employment. In January 2015, I traveled to the USA to pursue a couple of skill enrichment programs and also to explore the world on the other side of the horizon. I stayed there for a month and came back to Hyderabad. My former boss at i3, Venkat launched a company called Ennoble Group Inc., in New Jersey, in March 2015 and hired me to head the training and Staffing divisions. I started my journey again to achieve Professional excellence. I got myself trained in Project Management and went on to become a certified PMP in my first attempt. On September 22, 2016, Ennoble India was co-founded by Venkat and me. After all the setbacks in my career, I became an entrepreneur and we started building an IT company. This will remain as the greatest of all my achievements. Never give up on your dreams. It is your right to dream and fulfill the same regardless of whatever happens.
You are an inspiration for many young and aspiring women. How will you describe your transformation from an entrepreneur to a national level Karate champion?
At the age of 39, I embarked on the journey of Karate in October 2017, while fulfilling my Professional commitments as the Director of an IT Start-Up, Ennoble Technologies, located in Hyderabad. I had to balance my role as an Entrepreneur and as an aspiring Karate athlete. I used to rush home every evening by around 6.45 pm, change my clothes to Karate Outfit and reach the academy by 7 pm. It was a daily ritual as the training I received was thoroughly planned and goal-oriented where I had only Mondays as weekly offs at the academy. My training used to be grueling with a focus on physical fitness and stamina building, on Sundays. It was a roller coaster ride throughout. I overcame multiple injuries to hang on to my dream of bagging my first black belt in Karate. In one such instance, I sprained my right ankle near the Karate academy which confined me to bed for 2 weeks; but with the motivation of my Sensei, Grand Master Ashok Chakravarthi, I resumed my training while still recovering from the painful ankle sprain. There were times when I felt that I should stop the madness as I used to get exhausted with the training and my work but continued my battle to reach where I stand today with a National Level Gold Medal and a Black Belt in Karate. February 9, 2020, is the most memorable day of my life as I was awarded my first black belt in Karate in the presence of my family, friends, and my employees. I can proudly proclaim to the world that I worked very hard to realize my dream and did everyone proud through my once in a lifetime achievement. I am sure that I am one among millions and that my achievement will always be an inspiration to women of all age groups. I would like to reiterate that age is definitely a number because I defied it to become a Karate champion at 42.
A message for aspirants who would like to pursue martial arts?
Faith can move mountains. Martial art is more about mind power than physical strength. If you believe that you can become the best Karate athlete then half your task is finished. I believed that I would become a black belter in Karate and worked towards making it happen like a possessed person. 2 and ½ years of hard work, dedication, and perseverance made it happen for me. I did it at the age of 42. If I could do it, any woman can do it. Dare to dream and steal your destiny.
Say the word “athlete” and most people will conjure up an image of a male, whilst there are hundreds of amazing women in the athletics world as well. Female athletes are not just strong but they’re powerful. They fight, tooth and nail, for equality and lately are getting recognition! We hope the story of Madhuri Vardhinedi has changed the way we pictured athletes and inspired us to step up to every challenge of our life.
