Pandemic Lockdown Unlocks Creative Talent.
Age is no barrier to achieving our dreams.
(2.0 version of me in 2025 as part of my assignment with DigitalDeepak internship batch 6)
by Deepa Agarwal and Sumit Pradhan staff reporter Furbes India
We are traveling through the hill Station of Bhowali, Uttarakhand to meet a woman entrepreneur, educationist, author, environmentalist, and life coach. This lady turned her life around, at the age of 50. During the COVID 19 pandemic when the world was in Lockdown, Madhavi Daruwalla managed to unlock her potential and inspire millions of women to achieve their dream.
“ It all started with a Facebook advertisement”, smiles Madhavi. I was intrigued by DigitalDeepak advertisement offering 25 free lessons in a Facebook ad. It’s unreal! Who would do that? I subscribed to those lessons to see what they were about. The lessons were great and I started attending the DD webinars and was hooked. I applied for the internship and that was the turning point of my life. It changed my whole perspective and thinking”.
Madhavi Daruwalla runs a digital marketing and life coach company, that has a policy of absorbing mostly freshers. She feels that people who have learned skills aren’t given an opportunity, as no one wants to employ them due to their lack of experience. But they need to start somewhere, and they get a chance with her. This business model has become the brand feature of her agency. The startup is now 5 years old and is doing exceeding well. Her agency, ‘Words that Work’, is now worth 10 crores. Apart from this, the company helps other startups with financial and well as consultive support.
As a part of her life coaching, Madhavi often gives talks, to retired and middle-aged women, as she feels that once their children have grown up, women feel depressed and useless. She encourages them to start anew. She feels that at the age of 50 plus she got a chance to turn her life around and in turn, she wants to inspire as many people to do the same. “We are wasting our experience and productive years thinking we are old, we are never too old to do anything. I dislike the term, retired”, she says.
Madhavi has adopted a couple of villages around Bhowali and is funding schools so that the children have all the facilities that city schools have. She is passionate about environmental issues and feels that this love has to be inculcated in children right from the beginning, as, they are the future guardians of our earth. We talked to Meha Arya from Koon, one of the villages adopted by Madhavi. Meha, age 6, studies in Saraswati Public school. Meha loves computer classes and especially enjoys nature walks. She told us about how forest fires kill animals and destroy the environment.
In 2022, Madhavi had started an e-commerce venture called “Farm to Home’, which helped the farmers and local manufacturers sell their produce directly to the consumers. When asked about it she said,“ I am pleased to tell you that I am not actively involved in it anymore, I handed over the company to the villagers, last year. They have formed a cooperative and manage the website and the logistics themselves. The villagers are encouraged to manufacture things like Hemp scarves and shawls, cloth made out of nettle, which have a low impact on the environment, as well as honey, fruits, and vegetables that are grown organically. They sell it online to the consumers, which is a win-win situation for them, as well as the consumers. I am there only as an advisor. We have to give back to the community and make them self sufficient. However, I have just one rule for them, that there will be no compromise on quality and there has to be honest dealing with the customers.”
“How do you manage to achieve so much at your age”, we asked Madhavi. She laughed loudly. “Age is just a number, I feel young and full of life. I start my day with meditation and yoga and try to walk at least 10 km thrice a week. I am strict about my food intake. I read every day and write articles at least twice a week and about to complete the final draft of my third book. I have so much still to do”, she sighs.
We congratulate her for being nominated “ Indian woman of the year” for 2025 and for featuring in the top 100 influencers of the world for her work in the rural sector. In 5 years, she has made her mark on the world. From being a simple housewife and mother to an entrepreneur extraordinaire. As we make our way down the winding mountainous road our thoughts go to the simple lifestyle and dwelling of this little lady standing tall at just about 5 ft. “ I try to live life to the fullest ”, she said, “ I have had such wonderful opportunities to grow as a wife, a mother and now this, I am truly grateful .”
