I Am Yuvaraaj :: Every Smile Counts
A Better World Ed Story
Welcome to a Better World Ed wordless video, human story, and lesson plan: I Am Yuvaraaj :: Every Smile Counts.
Let's step into a unique human's mind, heart, perspectives, story, and community. Let's explore self, others, and our world in a humanizing way.
Take a deep breath. Let's get started with I Am Yuvaraaj :: Every Smile Counts.
Click the "lesson plan" tab if you're looking for ideas on how to engage with this story on your own or in a group. If you're eager to start right away and want to create your own learning guide based on the narrative, click the "story" tab or play the video!
Better World Notes for all of us to remember: this story is an introduction to who this human is. It would take years (even a lifetime!) to wholly understand this person, just like it takes us such a long time to begin to understand ourselves and one another.
As we watch the wordless video, let's suspend judgment and strive to practice curiosity and wonder. Let's recognize bias and challenge our assumptions. Let's explore how we might move beyond these assumptions together in a meaningful way.
As we explore the lesson plan, let's remember these are not instructions. This is a learning guide. You can adapt this for your situation, and reach out to us anytime for ideas, too. You can also follow it step by step, if you'd like. Though we believe learning happens in so many ways, and these lessons can be adapted so beautifully by you(th) to create a magical experience. If we adapt, let's just remember to keep the actual story content authentic. These are real humans we're learning about -- let's stay true to their stories.
As we read the written story, let's remember that this person in the story is not representative of a whole culture or way of life -- better world learning means moving beyond generalizations and simple single stories. More on this in the humanity & belonging unit.
We've got to remember that this person is a unique and whole individual with unique, complex, and beautiful experiences -- just like everyone in our own lives and classrooms! We've got to live with ubuntu.
Judgment and bias are both quick to get and hard to get rid of. And both are really pretty boring.
But curiosity? Curiosity is magical.
Learning? Learning is forever.
Curiosity before judgment.
Wonder beyond words.
More Better World Resources: Looking for a powerful learning guide for empathy and curiosity practice? Here is a version for early childhood learning. Here is a version for self-guided learning at any age. You can use the lesson plan above in the "lesson plan" tab, or you can try one of these lessons that work wonders for any of the stories on Better World Ed.
Looking for a math focused "all stories" learning guide? Or one on deep breathing? On listening to understand? On how to make chai? Head to your Members Hub for more magic !
Math Topic
Area & Perimeter, Patterns, Percentage
Country
United States (USA)
Global Topic
Business & Economics, Consciousness, Spirituality & Religion, Humanity, Belonging, Inclusion & Equity
Math Objectives
Compare areas of irregular shapes, Compare the area and perimeter of various regular shapes, Measure the perimeter of irregular shapes, Modify basic shapes to create tiling patterns, Solve word problems to determine percentage decrease
Literacy Topic
Author's Purpose, Comprehension, Communication & Collaboration, Critical Thinking, Evidence Collection, Inferencing
SEL Skill
Addressing Challenges & Community Engagement, Analyzing Situations, Appreciating Diverse Perspectives & Ways Of Life, Empathy, Understanding & Listening, Perspective Taking & Global Awareness, Reflecting Mindfully, Respect for Others & Character Development, Self-Awareness, Social Awareness, Social Engagement
Math Grade Level
Social Studies
Community Engagement, Culture, Current Events, Ethnography, Geography, Global Connections, Sociology
Science Topics
Ecosystems
Browse Related Stories
I Am Yuvaraaj :: Every Smile Counts
A Better World Story
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.
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