For many residents who lived in Dubai during the late 2000s and early 2010s, Malavika Varadan’s voice was a morning staple. As a prominent radio host in the UAE, she spent nearly 13 years chatting with listeners and interviewing celebrities, becoming a deeply familiar presence in people’s daily routines. Then, she made a decision rarely seen in the media industry: she walked away from a successful broadcasting career to pivot toward a new venture.
Today, the studio microphones have been traded for classrooms and rehearsals, with Varadan dedicating her time to building children’s confidence. She insists that this move was not a career switch, but a return to her origins. She describes theatre as her first love, noting that her school-level experience in the field was exactly what helped her break into radio, as producers were looking for individuals with the improvisational skills and comfort with an audience that theatre provided. While radio brought her to the UAE, her passion for the stage ultimately drew her back.
Leaving a stable, high-profile career was not a simple choice, especially given the comfort of a regular salary. Addressing those who romanticize the life of a founder, Varadan offers a direct piece of advice: “Entrepreneurship is like marriage. Don’t do it unless you can’t imagine a life without it. Don’t take the plunge. Don’t put a ring on it unless you’re absolutely sure. Unless you know that you can’t imagine a future without this.” For Varadan, building a business was never the primary objective; she identifies as a teacher first and an entrepreneur second, noting she would continue her work with children even without the financial gain because of her love for the craft.
Though some might categorize children’s arts education as a small-scale endeavor, Varadan highlights that her venture is a thriving, profitable business that has grown six times in size over the last six years. Her true pride, however, lies in teaching communication, a skill she argues is more critical than ever. She rejects the idea that confident speaking is an innate trait, maintaining that it is a teachable skill involving specific posture, rhythm, and language. She is vocal about her concerns regarding the modern screen-saturated lifestyle, noting that, “If there is a hill I’ll die on, it is that children need a no-screen childhood because it is absolutely ruining their ability to focus.” She worries that constant dopamine-driven gaming and filtered social media images are harming children’s self-esteem and ability to function in the real world.
Drawing on her experience, Varadan believes the most undervalued skill for a leader or teacher is the ability to listen. She suggests that an educator should spend 90 per cent of their time listening to students and only 10 per cent of their time speaking, prioritizing curiosity and questions over lectures. Furthermore, her success with her theatre school, The Hive, has been driven by a team of women. She believes women bring a unique aptitude for budgeting and an empathetic leadership style, treating their classrooms like gardens that require consistent care and long-term investment.
Currently, The Hive is hosting a children’s theatre summer festival, which is set to wrap up on June 28. Varadan emphasizes that the arts are an essential way to prioritize human connection in a post-COVID world. Looking back at her arrival in the UAE at 21 years old, she credits the city for providing her with her identity, family, and professional growth. After nearly two decades in the country, she remains convinced that Dubai is a city that consistently rewards the brave.
