Engineers to entreprenuers, the duo who run an art studio in Visakhapatnam

Dreams are just dreams until one works to make them come true. Unstoppable by their full-time corporate careers, these two residents of Visakhapatnam have converted their passion into their profession. Partners in both business and life, Suma Chindhu Hari and Venkata Rohit have opened an art studio named Madhyamaka in Visakhapatnam for all art enthusiasts.

Coming from a background of corporate life in Bengaluru, the duo who have been married for 5 years now, quit their well-paid jobs to kickstart their dream studio here in the city. Initially sketched as an art cafe for their love of art and food, the duo made a calculative move of opening just the former due to the pandemic induced lockdowns.

Rohit is a trained artist and a self-taught Japanese Joinery woodworker who works as a Product Manager three days a week and dedicates the rest of his time to the studio. Chindhu continues to work as a software engineer in Visakhapatnam five days a week and her weekends are filled with practising and upgrading her pottery skills. The monotonous work from home routine had them take a leap toward their passion which has been fruitful as the people of Visakhapatnam have been dawning upon new skills.

When asked what was the story behind the name of their art studio, Chindu said, ” My husband Rohit believes in living a very moderate lifestyle. No extremes and Madhyamaka is a Buddhist philosophy, which means the middle path. This thought goes into our products – a fine balance between traditional and modern techniques.” Within days of inception, the art studio was flocked with enquires by enthusiasts who wanted to learn these new art forms. As it is said word of mouth is the best marketing tool, the Visakhapatnam locals gradually inclined toward pottery and woodworking at the Madhyamaka Art Studio.

The duo who had not initially planned to incorporate teaching to be a part of their business model saw the demand and have now crafted exclusively curated courses for all enthusiasts. Investing all their savings into this one dream, they have set up a cosy studio in Pedda Waltair. Recalling her initial days with pottery, Chindu said, “at a time when I was hesitant to buy my first wheel, not confident if I would actually pursue it as a career, my husband gifted me one and pushed me towards this direction. And today, Madhyamaka has grown from that one wheel to four wheels.”

When asked about the pros and cons of running this business, the enthusiastic potter said, ” We sometimes end up getting burnt out, but have never regretted it. It is the only time we relax and de-compress. Teaching and designing are so fulfilling and makes us feel content. Discussions of our future plans, hiring process, planning our next sessions is what we love to do because we get to see our dream come true.” Speaking about cons, she mentioned that due to their slow pace of movement they are not seeing profits and are finding it hard with work-life balance. But they never complained.

Pottery workshops are designed to have four sessions for beginners, which welcomes anyone without any prior experience. The workshop aims to teach you to make a ceramic pot at the wheel by yourself and trim and finish it. The Carpentry course held by Rohit is a two-day workshop that teaches you how to make a stool without any glue and nails. This is the speciality of Japanese Joinery. The course will be fully provided for and includes a hands-on experience.

Chindhu who comes from a background of entrepreneurs is a second-generation Malayali settled in Visakhapatnam. Along with her husband, she now aims to launch their own line of products through their website and at pop-up markets across the city. The duo has also been chalking out longer workshops at intermediate levels for all those who would like to take up these hobbies on professional levels at their Madhyamaka art studio in Visakhapatnam.

Stay tuned to their website and Instagram page for timely updates on workshops and sales.