Latest news with #Madan
Indian Express
3 days ago
- General
- Indian Express
‘Love is universal, but the journey to it isn't': how Kamakshi Madan started Arzoo, the matchmaking service for LGBTQ community
On September 6, 2018, a historic moment unfolded. The Supreme Court struck down Indian Penal Code Section 377, decriminalising homosexuality and igniting celebrations across the nation for the LGBTQ community. For Kamakshi Madan, a homemaker-turned-spirited entrepreneur with no prior connection to the community, this was the spark that changed her life. Watching the news that evening, she felt a stirring curiosity. 'What does this mean for those who can now love freely?' she wondered. That question became the seed for an extraordinary journey. Madan's venture began with a bold idea: matchmaking for the LGBTQ community. She was an outsider, a straight woman with no first-hand knowledge of the community's struggles or joys. Yet, her lack of experience didn't deter this graduate from Delhi's Lady Shri Ram College. Instead, it fuelled her determination to learn. With support and unconditional encouragement from her family, she dove into research, visiting NGOs, meeting activists, and speaking with parents of queer individuals. Madan's mother-in-law, 'a woman way ahead of her times', lauded her initiative and her first contact with an NGO came through her mother-in-law's sister. She consulted affirming doctors and therapists, piecing together the nuances of gender identities, sexual orientations, and the unique challenges faced by the community. From the complexities of gender reassignment surgeries to the emotional weight of coming out to families, Madan absorbed it all. Her research revealed a critical gap: the need for a safe, personalised matchmaking service. Unlike heterosexual matchmaking, which often focused on superficial traits, Madan's service had to account for deeper considerations—family acceptance, mental health struggles, and societal stigma. She designed an offline platform, a deliberate choice to prioritise privacy and security. 'Online apps can be too exposing,' she explains. 'People need a space where they feel safe to be themselves.' Her platform, named Arzoo, required detailed forms but she ensured they were inclusive, asking questions like, 'Are you open to partners with disabilities?' or 'Have you disclosed your identity to your family?' These weren't just checkboxes; they were bridges to understanding. Launching Arzoo in January 2020 was no small feat. The world was on the brink of a pandemic, and Madan faced scepticism as an outsider. 'How can someone not from the community understand us?' the homosexual people asked. She relied on social media to connect, slowly building trust. Her first clients came through word of mouth, often from unexpected sources. From there, the network grew, one story at a time. The challenges were immense. Funding was a constant hurdle. Madan poured her savings into Arzoo, but the costs of mental health support, legal counselling, and medical guidance strained her resources. 'Love is universal,' she told herself, 'but the journey to it isn't.' She noticed that many in the community couldn't afford therapy, yet their need for emotional support was profound. Childhood trauma, identity struggles, and societal rejection created a vicious cycle, making relationships daunting. Madan began offering free mental health sessions, funded by the modest fees she charged for matchmaking—Rs 5,000 per person, a small price for a lifetime of connection. What helped was that, unlike others, she decided to go offline too from the beginning. 'There was no other choice, if I wanted to be sure. So when people sign up with me I visit them and spend at least an hour chatting to get to know them. I then fill up the form for them, make a profile and send it to them to check and verify. Once the profile gets into my database I match it with a suitable person. Only when both people approve of each other's profiles do I share the photographs. Once those are approved, only then do I share the names and addresses,' she explains. Her work wasn't just about pairing people; it was about building a community. In 2021, she started the Coffee Club, a series of events hosted in various cafés across Mumbai. These weren't just matchmaking mixers but safe spaces for queer individuals to laugh, share stories, and feel seen. From movie screenings to speed-dating events, the Coffee Club became a beacon of joy. One evening, a trans woman shared her story of finding love through Arzoo. 'I never thought I'd find someone who saw me as me,' she said, her voice trembling. The room erupted in applause, and Madan felt her heart swell. Yet, not every story had a happy ending. Madan recalled a heart-breaking incident involving a trans woman matched with a man who seemed genuine but later revealed predatory intentions. The woman was devastated, and Madan felt the weight of her responsibility. She tightened her vetting process, requiring declarations and IDs, and banned the man from her platform. 'I can't eliminate every risk,' she admitted, 'but I can make it harder for harm to happen.' These moments tested her resolve, but they also deepened her commitment. Parents played a surprising role in Madan's journey. A father from Delhi called her, seeking a match for his lesbian daughter. 'I just want her to be happy,' he said, his voice thick with emotion. Madan was stunned—parental acceptance was rare. She started a parents' support group, hoping to foster understanding. By 2025, Madan had grown to serve over 200 clients, from trans individuals to non-binary folks, each with unique stories. She celebrated small victories—like the mother from South India who, after Madan matched her son, called to thank her, only to worry later that he was neglecting his studies. Madan laughed, guiding the mother through her concerns. Societal challenges persisted. Some questioned the existence of diverse genders, and funding cuts to NGOs affected the broader queer community. Yet, Madan's work remained untouched by these shifts. 'It's not just about finding love,' she said. 'It's about showing the world we exist, and we're here to stay.' As the Coffee Club prepares for a July event—a flea market with live performances—Madan reflected on her five-year journey. She had no office, no staff, just a laptop and a heart full of purpose. The cafés she hopped between were her office. 'Everyone deserves love,' she told a new client, a non-binary person hesitant to join. 'And if you're not ready for that, come to the Coffee Club. You'll find friends, laughter, maybe even yourself.' Madan's work wasn't perfect. She couldn't erase trauma or guarantee every match would last. But she created something rare: a space where the LGBTQ community could dream without fear. As she sat in a bustling café, planning the next event, a young man approached her. 'You helped my friend find love,' he said shyly. 'Can you help me?' Madan smiled, pulling out a form. 'Let's start here,' she said. At that moment, the 54-year-old knew her journey, sparked by a news headline in 2018, was far from over. It was just beginning.
India.com
22-05-2025
- Business
- India.com
Meet Udit Madan, brain behind Amazon's massive supply chain, saved company during times like…, helps CEO Andy Jassy in…
When the Covid-19 pandemic affected Amazon's operations in 2020 Udit Madan was given a critical job to get hundreds of thousands of masks from other countries for Amazon warehouse workers, and also conduct the employee vaccine program. Madan was just in his 30s and working as vice president in Amazon. He was one of the youngest working on the position in the company at that time. He didn't have experience of performing the task given to him especially during critical times like Covid-19 pandemic. But Madan was a fast learner. He figured it out and performed the task given to him very well. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy promoted the 38-year-old Madan recently to senior vice president at the company. He is working as Amazon's chief supply chain officer and handling a global employee base north of 1 million warehouse and logistics employees. Recently after once again proved himself after Donald Trump's tariff chaos which affected Amazon's movement of goods across the globe. He also oversees tens of thousands of trucks, 100 cargo airplanes, and 2,000-plus warehouses in more than 24 countries. But in an interview with Fortune , Madan said that he and his teams are trained for this tasks and also had experience operating the company's warehouse and transportation during Covid-19 pandemic. 'The last five years as a team helped us build a lot of resilience in how we operate and also prompted us to invest in building more flexibility in our logistics network to handle a bit more inherent variability that we're seeing happen quite frequently,'' Madan told Fortune in an interview. Who Is Udit Madan? Madan grew up in Hyderabad. He did schooling in New Delhi, and then moved to the US to attend the University of Texas at Austin. He was considering becoming a doctor, and also an investment took a degree in computer science and economics and joined Amazon as a software engineer in 2008.
The Hindu
21-05-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Spurt in premiums for war, political violence cover post Pahalgam attack
Following the terrorist attack at Pahalgam in April and the subsequent ceasefire earlier this month, insurance premiums for war and political violence cover available for Indian companies have risen 'significantly,' according to insurance brokers. Though Indian insurers are not offering any property insurance policies for war and conflicts to Indian corporates, policies covering war and political violence are being made available from international reinsurers which had been issued with stricter limits and conditions. Deepak Madan, Head Commercial Lines, Large Account Practices at Prudent Insurance Brokers said, 'Property insurance policies for war and conflict-related situations are typically excluded from insurance cover so there was no impact at all in premium. And thus geopolitical tensions usually do not influence premium rates.' 'But several companies had purchased war and political violence coverage which is a reinsurance-backed cover, available primarily through international markets. The availability and terms of coverage also vary according to the property's location, particularly in high-exposure areas such as Jammu and Kashmir and other border regions,' Mr. Madan said. Hari Radhakrishnan from Insurance Brokers Association of India (IBAI) said since the geopolitical risk had gone up considerably due to various conflicts such as Ukraine, Gaza, Iran and wider Persian Gulf, and Indo-Pak., there had been a downstream impact on insurance and reinsurance markets. 'Since these conflicts can affect oil prices or commodity prices, there can be impact on underwriting and claims in the form of increased costs, increased restoration periods, logistical challenges. Insurers and reinsurers have to factor these into their operating considerations,' he said. He said since the Indo-Pak. conflict is new and still developing even though there is a pause in active hostilities or live action, the impact might be less visible in the immediate term but could be more visible on a longer-term basis. On the impact on the supply chain due to disruptions caused by geopolitical developments, he said, 'When there are supply chain disruptions, certain insurance products such as trade credit insurance, contingent business interruption covers [coverage for suppliers and customers premises] , see a demand spike which is also being witnessed.'
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Meet Amazon's 38-year old supply chain guru, helping CEO Andy Jassy navigate tariff chaos with a giant fleet of planes, trucks, and robots
When the Covid pandemic upended Amazon's operations—and the entire world in 2020—Udit Madan was tasked with a crucial side job: to figure out how to acquire hundreds of thousands of masks from overseas for Amazon warehouse workers, and help get the employee vaccine program off the ground. At the time, Madan was a fast-rising Amazon vice president in his early 30s—likely one of the youngest out of hundreds with that same title inside the tech giant. But still he had no specific experience in what he was being tasked with, especially amid a level of chaos he had not experienced before. But as Amazon colleagues have learned, Madan has proven to be an adeptly fast learner. He figured it out. That's one key trait that explains why Amazon CEO Andy Jassy quietly promoted the 38-year-old Madan recently to senior vice president at the company, and into the vaunted Level 11 management tier inside the tech giant. It's also likely why, according to a source, a busy Jassy personally reached out to check in with Madan in 2022 when worldwide consumer CEO Dave Clark left Amazon—a surprise move that left many of Clark's direct reports shellshocked. (The source, like others cited in this article, are known to Fortune, but asked to remain anonymous out of fear of retribution for speaking candidly about the inner workings of Amazon). Today, working as what is essentially Amazon's chief supply chain officer and overseeing a global employee base north of 1 million warehouse and logistics employees, Madan is being asked to once again orchestrate order amid chaos, as the whipsaw of the Trump administration's China tariff dance has threatened to roil Amazon's movement of goods across the globe. In addition to staff, Madan ultimately oversees a fleet of tens of thousands of trucks, around 100 cargo airplanes, and 2,000-plus warehouses in more than two dozen countries–outfitted with more than 750,000 robots and counting. And when the 'everything store's' shipments of sneakers, sofas, or sundries are jeopardized, it's ultimately Madan's problem to solve. But in a recent interview with Fortune, Madan maintained that he—and his teams—were essentially trained for this day, thanks to the past challenges of having to operate the company's vast warehouse and transportation network during the cascading waves of the pandemic, and subsequent supply chain and shipping port disruptions. Yes, the tariff mess has required more frequent communication between teams under Madan's purview but the supply chain leader feels his division is by now built to sustain potential crises like that of the past two months. 'The last five years as a team helped us build a lot of resilience in how we operate,' Madan told Fortune in an interview, 'and also prompted us to invest in building more flexibility in our logistics network to handle a bit more inherent variability that we're seeing happen quite frequently.' Madan was referencing new trucking and warehousing services that Amazon has launched in recent years. One is Amazon Warehouse and Distribution—or AWD—which allows Amazon vendors and sellers to store large amounts of inventory in dedicated Amazon warehouses for a fee, and have the tech giant then distribute smaller allotments of merchandise to various fulfillment centers as customer demand for the item picks up. (The service has served as a welcome alternative for some merchants that sell on Amazon and don't want to run their own warehouses or hire a third-party logistics business to run one for them. But AWD has also come under fire from some sellers who felt pressured into using it simply to avoid new Amazon fees they'd otherwise have to pay, only to be disappointed by how it ran during last holiday season.) Both the new trucking and warehousing services have been helpful to Amazon as the company assisted some vendors and sellers with rushing more inventory into the U.S. before some of the new tariffs hit, Madan said. Madan grew up in Hyderabad, India, before attending high school in New Delhi, and finally moving to the US to attend the University of Texas at Austin. Despite at one point considering becoming a doctor, and later flirting with the idea of an investment banking career, Madan joined Amazon as a software engineer in 2008 after graduating with degrees in computer science and economics. By 22, he had been promoted to manager and would soon go on to run large technology organizations for Amazon's new 'last mile' delivery businesses—Amazon Flex, which are deliveries performed by everyday gig workers, and eventually the new Delivery Service Provider (DSP) network, comprised of small and mid-sized delivery businesses often dedicated exclusively to deliver Amazon packages. '[W]hen I got to Amazon, I was given opportunity after opportunity to take on more, and to be able to stretch myself,' Madan once said in an interview. 'For every single leader I've worked for, it wasn't about how long I'd been here. It wasn't that I was 22 years old when I first got into management. None of that mattered. It was all about what I was capable of doing.' One former colleague of Madan's said he stood out among peers for his ability to go both deep into the details, while also widening his viewpoint to understand more holistic strategies and business impacts – a hallmark of many successful top Amazon leaders. 'It was very impressive to me that someone with a core engineering background was able to dig into financial analysis,' the source said, 'but also look around corners and have a gut sense of where the competitive landscape was going.' By 2017, he would be tapped for a coveted role known as a technical advisor or 'shadow'—basically a chief of staff—for Amazon's then head of worldwide supply chain operations, Dave Clark. Several former executives who spoke to Fortune pointed to this role as an inflection point for Madan. Under Clark, Madan became 'more of a watcher and deep thinker' than his typical blunt-speaking self, according to a former Amazon vice president who regularly interacted with Madan during that time. Another former leader, said after a year learning under Clark, Madan 'popped out a totally different executive.' 'He absorbed every second of Dave's mentorship and leadership,' the former Amazon exec said. While Madan would not single out that one-year 'shadow' role as more crucial than others in his development as a leader at Amazon, he did tell Fortune that it provided a 'more concentrated' period of time 'where you get to both have much more diverse perspectives to inform you and it gives you an opportunity to interface with a far more varied set of really strong individuals.' Over the past six years, Madan has earned even more responsibility. In 2019, he was elevated to a vice president—which is a senior executive role at Amazon while it might be more middle management at other companies. Then, in late 2022, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy added Madan to the 'S-team,' which consists of 29 of Amazon's top leaders, who meet with the CEO as frequently as weekly to consult on everything from crucial launches and pressing crises to discussing long-term strategy and progress on years-long 'S-team goals.' Earlier this year, Madan was promoted again, to senior vice president—one of only 18 at the company. When it was announced internally, Madan said he told his team it is an acknowledgement of all of their work to serve customers and better the business, whether by improving delivery speeds or expanding the company's reach to customers living in more rural areas. Madan, dressed casually in a button-down shirt, came across as personable but guarded, in a video interview with Fortune. If there's an area where some former senior colleagues hope Madan has improved, it's his EQ or 'emotional intelligence.' While former colleagues attest that Madan was far from a loose cannon or a screamer as a manager, they recalled him sometimes struggling to connect with staff on a personal level. In one instance in the late 2010s, following his 'shadow' role, he took over a new delivery team early in the new year. The team, according to a former top executive, was coming off of a mostly successful holiday season and Madan could have ingratiated himself with his new direct reports by at least acknowledging that success. Instead, he went in the other direction, blindsiding them with a litany of failings he believed they were responsible for. That's not necessarily uncommon at Amazon—many company leaders rise toward the top because of their IQ more than their EQ, former insiders say. Then, when they begin overseeing teams of thousands or hundreds of thousands, developing better EQ is stressed more. As for Madan himself, the executive said he's still learning across many areas, 'and I think that's going to be true for a very long time.' But, he added, 'I hope across almost every dimension [that] I am at least a little bit better than I was when I started here.' With a global trade war still underway, he should have plenty of opportunities to show his progress. Are you a current Amazon employee with thoughts on this topic or a tip to share? Contact Jason Del Rey at jasondelrey@ or through messaging apps Signal and WhatsApp at 917-655-4267. You can also contact him on LinkedIn or at @delrey on X, @jdelrey on Threads, and on Bluesky. This story was originally featured on Sign in to access your portfolio
New Indian Express
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
Cannes Dream Come True
Since its inception in 1946, The Cannes Film Festival has been a celebration of cinematic excellence. For city-based content creator and actor Disha Madan, this platform was nothing short of a dream come true. Along with other talents, Madan walked on the prestigious red carpet on Saturday, representing Karnataka with pride. 'If you have a dream, you manifest hard for it, and you will achieve it,' said Madan on the second day of Cannes, reflecting on her journey. She had manifested this moment long ago. 'Years ago, when my mom and I were watching Cannes Film Festival, we sat down together thinking: sometime in the future, if we ever got an opportunity to go there, we should definitely do it. And that has stayed with me,' she shared. The highlight of Madan's Cannes experience was her red carpet look: a pure zari kanjeevaram saree handwoven over 400 hours by master weavers near Chettinad, and designed by Anmol Ashok. On her first day, attending events, she wore a saree by Shloka Sudhakar, crafted from her mother's old zari kanjeevaram saree, and reimagined by blending Indian fabrics with Western silhouettes. 'I have always wanted to take a fashion risk with kanjeevarams. Artisans in Bengaluru have worked for close to 200 hours per outfit just on the prototypes, to make sure that we didn't mess up: once we stitched the saree we would not be able to undo or redo it,' said Madan. Another look involved a white saree (couture), also reimagined by Sudhakar. Besides glamour, Madan's experience at Cannes was also about learning and networking. She had the opportunity to attend various events, including the Brut Nespresso party and the FICCI panel, where she interacted with professionals, discussing various ways to bring change in the social media industry. 'I have a lot to take away from this experience,' she said, expressing her gratitude.
