Reaching out with words

Madhu Bhaskaran motivates people to achieve their dreams through his talks and his life

August 29, 2014 05:29 pm | Updated 06:03 pm IST

Madhu Baskaran, motivational speaker and HRD trainer.

Madhu Baskaran, motivational speaker and HRD trainer.

Madhu Bhaskaran loves to talk. In his motivational and guidance sessions he talks more about himself, his struggles, pains and experiences. Some find it narcissistic and Madhu, replies with a smile, “Look, I can only speak of someone I know and not of Abraham Lincoln.” In fact, it is Madhu’s ability to link his life to the subjects he talks on that make him stand out.

As a much-sought after motivational speaker and HR trainer the story of Madhu’s life is inspirational. His father had a tea shop at Kalady, his native place. Madhu was the youngest of four children. His parents struggled to keep the home fires burning. Running into huge debts his parents decided to migrate to a village near Tiruchirappalli. Madhu studied in a Tamil medium village school till eighth, won a national merit scholarship and continued his schooling at MSP Solai Nadar Higher Secondary School, Dindigul. “I was a good student and joined Maharaja’s College but formal education stifled me. Once, on the day of an exam, I was travelling with the college theatre group to Coimbatore for a performance. At the end of the course, naturally, I failed.”

This was a turning point in Madhu’s life. “As I always say in my talks when I succeeded I celebrated, when I failed I learned. I walked into a ‘parallel’ college at Perumbavoor and asked them if I could teach there. They told me that since I had ‘failed’ I could teach ‘failed students.’ I did that, and quite successfully. That was when I realised that I could hold an audience with my talk.”

Madhu took on any job that gave him some money to keep himself going, all the while training in the art of speaking, as he wished to make it his profession. “The first serious training session I held was at Sameeksha, an initiative of the Kerala Province of the Jesuit Society, at Kanjoor. I was allotted only ten minutes. I spoke about ‘Creativity and Critical Thinking’. I spoke for 55 minutes and was elated when the person in charge told me that the audience rated me the best. That was the beginning.”

Gradually, Madhu was approached mostly by Christian organisations, for talks and training programmes. Not the lure of remuneration but a passion kept him going. In 1995, he begged to be a speaker at St. Michael’s College, Cherthala. The organisers allotted a time just before lunch. Madhu began speaking before a restless audience in a hall where the lunch was being arranged. “I was dejected, stopped midway, and left the place. A few years later the same college, the same organisers, invited me to conduct three-day sessions. And among the audience was my future wife, Sherly. That’s what life is all about.”

What makes Madhu different is that he attempts to transcend all paradigms, knows how to swim upstream; is flexible to rewrite his scripts and acts. “There was this instance when I was asked to speak to senior students in a school at Kanjirappilly. When I reached there the organisers told me that owing to unforeseen circumstances they were forced to bring in primary students as my audience. I could not go back. I spoke to them about career options engaging them in interesting activities. You need to improvise in these circumstances.”

Self-trained, Madhu created a style of his own. He completed his degree, and went on to get his MHRM (Master of Human Resource Management), MS in Psychotherapy and Counselling, and PG Diploma in Organisational Development. He is a certified yoga teacher, a certified hypnotherapist, and a certified international Firewalk instructor trained by the famous Peggy Dylan.

Today, there are many who attribute their success to his motivational sessions. Among his countless fans are celebrities like actor Jayasurya and music director M. Jayachandran. ”

Madhu has published two books, Thottavarkkum Jayikkaam and Veezhchakalilninnu Vijayathileku . The second, is autobiographical and has gone into it third edition. His talks have gone viral on YouTube. He is a trainer for many corporates, consultant for many NGOs and a speaker in schools and colleges.

For one who prides himself at convincing and motivating Madhu took nearly two years to convince his parents on his choice of bride. “Sherly is a Christian and so there was opposition from my family and hers too. Talking to them, trying to convince them, and finally getting them around was perhaps the most demanding mission I undertook. And I have succeeded,” he says with a laugh.

“My highest qualification is my life. When people say that I’m teaching life I would like to correct them and say that I don’t teach life, but only try to transform it, because for me transformation is education.”

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