I hope every child gets the opportunity to explore and follow their dreams.
~ words from Yuvaraaj that keep us thinking and wondering ~
Not hers. Not yours. People are always more than the chapters anyone could share. Hold what is here gently. Approach with curiosity, before judgment.
Notice what you notice. Wonder what you wonder. There is no quiz, no right way. Read until something stays.
this film has no words. notice what you notice. notice what you wonder. wonder out loud. and don't forget to notice what you feel, too.
Every Smile Counts
If you have ever asked a parent what matters most to them, there’s a good chance they will say their children. That’s certainly the case for me. My two children, Minakshi and Rishi mean the world to me. I love them so much; I’ll do anything to see them happy and prosperous. Growing up, my son Rishi wanted to be a chef. He had a huge passion for cooking food and serving people. He’d always be preparing food at home for our family and he was set on pursuing a career in this field. I wasn’t so sure this would be a good idea. There isn’t much financial stability and security in the hospitality business. At the heart of it, I was scared. Scared of what would happen if he chose this path. I wanted what was best for Rishi. I wanted him to lead a good life so I urged him to study medicine instead. It was safer. With a lot of convincing he eventually took to this path. But everything changed 3 years ago. Things took a turn for the worse and Rishi passed away. Words don’t even come close to expressing how tough this was and has been for me. A parent should never have experience this moment. I was devastated.
What are the most important things in your life?
What really matters to you?
Do you ever find yourself caught up in more trivial things?
Like what?
Do you ever find fear driving the decisions you make?
How can you cherish every moment?
Three years ago, I was running a jewelry business in New York City. In fact, I had 3 stores. And I must admit, I was a bit of a workaholic. I was almost obsessed with making money, and the money surely was coming in. The business was going well for many years, but after Rishi’s passing that too took a turn for the worse. Costs were rising, we weren’t getting many customers, and sales were low. Above all else I was mentally not present, unable to serve customers in the way I would have liked. My mind and heart were still with Rishi. Still with my son.
Where would your mind have been?
Could that have affected my business?
How?
How do rising costs and falling sales impact a business?
I decided then that I wanted to dedicate the rest of my life to Rishi; I wanted my work to be in honor of him. Rishi loved food, he loved to cook, and he loved to serve. For over 20 years I had worked in the jewelry business, but I decided to drop this and work in the food industry. I decided to start a food truck. To cook and serve people just as Rishi would have. This would be my way to celebrate him, I thought. To honor what he loves and stay connected to him. To step away from my fears and to live a life spreading love.
But I didn’t know anything about the food industry. I had worked in jewelry my whole life. I didn’t know where to start, how to set up, or where to find everything I needed. It was all new territory. But I went for it. I had to. For Rishi. I sold my jewelry business, bought a truck, and the new life began.
It was extremely tough to make this jump.
It took a lot of courage to leave everything I knew.
Can you think of some of the challenges I would have faced?
Financially?
With my family?
With society?
With myself?
I’d heard I’d make less than a quarter of what I earned in the jewelry business if I embarked on the food truck journey.
Can you calculate the financial implications of this move?
(What is the percentage reduction in profits from what I would have made?) Is it a large difference?
Do you see why I still made the decision despite this?
I designed the menu, the pictures for the truck, the truck decorations, and set up everything I needed without help from anyone. And that picture on the truck? That’s Rishi. “Celebrating Rishi” was a personal touch to always remind myself why I do this.
When I was designing my truck, I was experimenting with different patterns that I could use to decorate the walls of the truck.
I looked at different shapes that could be tiled.
Can you draw up and suggest some different patterns I could use?
(Can you use regular and irregular shapes to create some variety in the patterns?
Can you use unit squares to tell me the area and perimeter of the different shapes you are using in your tiles?)
Before long the business was off the ground. To this day, three years in, I continue to celebrate the life of my son through my work. Many people think I had no choice but to work in a food truck -- that I had no other options. That’s not the case at all. For me, this business has been and continues to be a way to celebrate the life of my son. There are days where I wished I had encouraged my son to pursue his passions in the food industry. Moments where I regret pushing him into medicine. But that’s out of my control now. I am now and for the rest of my life committed to dedicating my actions, my work, and my life to dear Rishi.
I hope every child gets the opportunity to explore and follow their dreams.
I hope no parent regrets pushing their children onto certain paths.
I wonder sometimes why I didn’t have the courage to let Rishi follow his dreams.
What do you think are some of the challenges I might have faced?
What might have been the challenges he would face?
As a parent, what would you do in this situation?
You never know when you will lose someone important in your life. After Rishi’s passing, I have learned to cherish every experience. Every. Last. Moment. There’s no point arguing, and definitely no point getting angry. Life is just too short.
Want to create a calm and focused space to start the conversation? Set up desks or chairs in a circle and start the session with 2 minutes of collective silence.
“What are some things we do that make others smile?” Some might say “holding the door for someone”, “giving a compliment”, or “waving to a friend”.
Encourage that any act, no matter how small, can count. “Do we think about making people smile? Do we make a conscious effort to do it everyday?” Show the group “I Am Yuvaraaj” (https://betterworlded.org/#how-this-works-1) and ask the group to consider how he interacts with people as they watch the video. Pick green sections from the “I Am Yuvaraaj” written story that can be helpful for integrating academic subjects.
“Does it matter that Yuvaraaj cares about every person that comes to his food truck? Why? Is it necessary? Do WE always make the people around us feel valued and supported?” Let the group answer.
Then ask everyone to put themselves in one of Yuvaraaj’s customer’s shoes: “Imagine we are getting food from Yuvaraaj for the first time. We’re likely just hungry and saw a place to eat. Would we expect to leave with a smile? If not, why? Do we assume that the food, more so than the person handing it to us, is what’s important here? Or is it the interaction?” Discuss the assumptions we have when interacting with people we purchase things from. “Do we think they appreciate us? Should that play a role in how we treat them? Our intentions may simply be to buy something, but should it end there?” PLAY the “Sonder” video in the humanity module (http://humanity.betterworlded.org/#humanity). Think about this idea with the group: We can all strive to lead happy, enjoyable lives -- and each of us can play a role in making that happen for our community and planet.
Free write for 5 minutes with no breaks. Try to never lift the pen off the paper. “Who are the people we see in our week? Consider family and friends, but also people we encounter and don’t know very well.
Do certain people leave you feeling valued? How? Is it what they say? How they act? Brainstorm ways we can help others to recognize their value the next time we see them. After 5 minutes, ask if anyone is willing to share his or her reflection. Follow up by challenging the group’s thoughts. “Do we need others to make us feel valued? Should how we see ourselves depend on how others see us? What do we value about ourselves?”
““Consider what we know about history and what we hear in the news today. Do we see examples of conflicts that boil down to people’s lives not being valued?
If everyone made it a goal to consciously value others everyday, what kind of situations would this avoid? Would we have these problems if we ALL strived to value every person we encounter?” This is a great time to bring in current events to the lesson. Talk about what’s going on in the community, country, and world. Some might not be familiar with many of these things. Although treating one another fairly might seem like common sense, remind the group that most, if not all the issues in the world can be minimized or avoided if everyone feels valued and appreciated.
This is one way to teach this story. You could also weave your own way, threading two or three other people the AI finds for you alongside.
Want to weave a full lesson around this story?
The weaver finds 3-4 real people whose stories thread together with this one.
Weave a lesson →Filmed years later, in New York City. Just as wordless. Still no narration.
Better World Business
About three years ago I sold my jewelry business and started a new food truck business. While a jewelry business is definitely more profitable, I have to say the food truck business has been much more rewarding. Part of this is because this business exists in honor of my late son Rishi who loved food and cooking. But also, through my food truck business I can bring joy and happiness to many more people. I can touch many more lives. And that for me is the goal! Money was once the goal when I worked in jewelry. Now that happiness is the goal, I want to create the best possible experience for not only every customer I have but also every person I interact with in this business.
Despite it being more expensive, I buy ingredients that are grown locally and organic from a farmers market in Long Island. I believe it is important to support local farmers and our community. We also prepare all our food in a traditional home-cooked style. We even use spices that my mother has ground herself all the way in Mumbai, India. All the food is always cooked fresh for the day and we make sure we don’t cook too much. We’d rather not have leftovers. In every aspect I am striving to be the best I can.
I have two colleagues that help me cook and prepare. Maria is from South America, and I speak Spanish with her. Tshering is from Tibet, and I speak Korean with him. It takes us 4 hours to prepare everything and load the truck in the morning. Teamwork is essential as things are moving fast and there are a lot of different roles to make all the food possible. A captain may get the credit for arriving safely, but he couldn’t have done it without his crew. People don’t always see my crew, my team that works behind the scenes, but their efforts are critical for my food truck to run smoothly all day.
Every customer that chooses to come to my truck gives me an opportunity to spread more happiness and joy. I am always looking for ways to connect with my customers. I strike up conversations, like to guess where people are from, give them compliments and try to speak to them in their native language when I can. I have learned to speak 8 languages fluently. Don’t worry; I’m just getting started. My mother can speak many more languages and much more fluently, but I am trying to catch up. I’ve found language to be a great way to connect with others, especially my customers. I always make sure everyone leaves with something, be it a compliment, a tip, a new perspective, or at least some delicious food!
It might sound like only fun, but this job can be very challenging. My days start at 5am, and I am usually home after midnight. At my age of 48 it’s also challenging to have to load and unload the trucks and stand on my feet all day (especially having spent the last 28 years in a comfortable retail environment). Running a business on your own means there isn’t really time for breaks during the day either. But I am passionate about my work. I love bringing joy to people. And of course this work is a way for me to honor and celebrate my son, Rishi.
“During dinner, ask your family if they shop at any businesses because they know and trust the owner. Ask why that person started it and how our dollar is spent. They might not know the answers to this, but at least explore some options together. Start the conversation around better world business.
“Have we ever been told that what we enjoy doing isn’t important?” We might hear answers like, “I really love making food, but I know it’s just a hobby.
I could never be truly successful doing that”. Or “I like taking pictures but my friends say I’ll never make a living from it”. Anything is open to discuss.
“What kind of impact does Yuvaraaj’s food businesses have on the world? How many people does a business affect? The customers? The employees?
What do we think are some important qualities of a business? Have the group consider both Yuvaraaj’s food business and jewelry business. Every day he makes at least 100 people happy with his food. How does the jewelry shop differ? If on average he made 10 customers happy a day buying jewelry, what percent increase do we see in the happiness he spread? (You can find other math in the green sections of the linked story “Yuvaraaj Runs A Business”, too.)
Draw for 10 minutes. “Imagine we’re starting a business. What would it look like? Draw a picture about it. Is it a store? Where would it be?
What would the store look like? The inside? Would you sell products? Provide services? Would you travel? Where to? Full creativity is encouraged here. There is no limit on the kind of building or space they can design. After 10 minutes, have the group hand in the drawings to the front. Redistribute them so everyone has another person’s business. “What kind of business is this? Would we go here? Would we hire them? Why? What do you imagine the owner cares about? What kind of impact might they be making on the world?
“What determines how we make a living? Do we let society influence our choices? Should we consider how our work impacts the world? Can you think of some examples of businesses that impact the world positively?
How so? What do they do? How can we make sure that good, ethical businesses grow and become the norm in our world?
This is one way to teach this story. You could also weave your own way, threading two or three other people the AI finds for you alongside.
Want to weave a full lesson around this story?
The weaver finds 3-4 real people whose stories thread together with this one.
Weave a lesson →Hip-Hop And Music
Hip-hop is my life. I’ve grown up making music and have been fortunate to pursue my dreams through a career in music. One of the things I love most about music is the potential it has to influence people in positive ways. Nowadays the hip-hop industry is flooded with music that objectifies and degrades women. Women are looked down upon and often seen wearing minimal clothing in music videos. I want to change this with my music. I want to challenge the stereotypes of women in music. Especially in hip-hop.
What are some of the stereotypes that you are aware of about women in music?
Why do you think these exist?
Are they true?
How can we challenge and break these together?
What about stereotypes in general?
Another thing I feel strongly about and often communicate about in my music is traveling. Travel matters. It’s essential for understanding our world and other people. Whether it’s travel within our own neighborhood, city, country or the world, new experiences can change our minds and hearts. And to think: so many people lead their whole lives never leaving a small radius around their home. I think everyone should take time to explore, meet new and different people, and learn about each other. If one has that capacity, of course. Not everyone does, unfortunately.
I believe understanding other people and the world is very important for a number of reasons.
Do you think so too?
What are reasons you think this is or might be important?
Whether while traveling or from your own neighborhood, how can you better understand other people and the planet we live on?
What could you do?
Every day I head to my studio and pass by a few food trucks. There is one truck in particular that always catches my eye. There is usually a lot of laughter, chatter, and long lines coming from this particular one. It’s a food truck with Indian food. Smells sooo good. I had to pay a visit. Why was this truck so popular? When I finally reached the front of the line, I knew. Met with a huge smile, the owner introduced himself as Yuvaraaj.
I had never before had a food truck owner ask me for my name and share his or hers too. Yuvaraaj then went on to compliment my ring and then asked me how I was doing and what I did for a living. As I ordered the incredible-looking meal the person before me had ordered, I continued chatting with him. As he prepared the food, I still had his full and undivided attention. I was moved. I felt I really mattered and Yuvaraaj wanted to connect with me, not just give me food. It wasn’t just a transaction; it was a beautiful personal interaction. And the food? Game over. There are no words for the explosion of flavors. No wonder this truck is so popular.
There were many options on Yuvaraaj’s menu. Some people were eating perfectly symmetrical rotis and others were eating naans that were almost symmetrical. I decided to go with rice and a couple of curries. I gave Yuvaraaj 10 dollars and the meal cost $7.50. (Can you tell me how much change I should have received? What about after adding in tax? Why do we pay tax on food, by the way? [And can you draw a roti (circle) and naan (triangle)? Can you draw lines of symmetry through both? What would an asymmetrical naan (triangle) look like?] Before I left, I invited Yuvaraaj to bring his food truck to Holi (the Indian festival of colors) in Brooklyn where I’d be performing the week after. Yuvaraaj was ecstatic, sharing how much he loves youth. He thought that the festival seemed like a great place to serve young people. And he seemed so excited to provide authentic Indian food to young people at an affordable cost, especially given the astronomical prices of food in New York. As I was leaving, he told me a story about how a young lady recently gave him $10. Puzzled, he asked her why she was giving him money. “You gave me a meal last week and didn’t charge me.” Yuvaraaj’s response was classic: “Wow, thank you. God blessed me with a short term memory so I wouldn’t have to worry about these things.” Right as I heard that story, I snuck my extra $2.50 into his tip jar. With a warm farewell, I left with some delicious food, a huge smile, and full hopes I’d see him soon at the Holi festival. Regardless, one thing is for sure: I’ll definitely be back to Yuvaraaj’s food truck for those naans and rotis. Yuvaraaj often gives people discounts or free meals if they don’t have enough money. If five people pay $5 for meals that usually cost $7.50, what is the percentage (%) discount he is giving them? How much money would he then discount in a day? Why do you think he doesn’t think twice to give discounts or free meals? What is important to him? Is it money? What would be important to you if you ran a business?
this story is here. The lesson is yours.
This story doesn't have a pre-built lesson plan yet. You can weave one with the AI, threading two or three other people alongside.
Weave your own lesson →Not hers. Not yours. People are always more than the chapters anyone could share. Hold what is here gently. Approach with curiosity, before judgment.
If a moment stayed, follow it. If a question rose up, hold it. The quiet teaching is still teaching.
Three or four real stories woven into one lesson, your topic, your time. Yuvaraaj is one. The weaver finds the others, threads the math, the literacy, the values, the reflection.
Open the weaver →