I had not published a post on my blog for quite sometime. I did contemplate writing about the tension created by a political party by targeting a section of society because of the state they originate from. I decided against it because I thought these politicians get too much attention than what they deserve. Also, I wanted to write something positive, something inspiring and that’s when I thought about writing about a recently watched youtube video on Orkut (a social networking site) in one of my cousin’s video collection. I could not resist myself from adding this video to my video collection too. This post and the video that I am referring to, is about Ravi - a boy who sells stuff on the street.
Now when I say that I am writing about a boy selling stuff on the street, a question will definitely arise in your mind. What is so special about a boy selling something on the streets? There are so many of them doing this across India. Yes, there may be many boys and girls across India selling stuff on the roads but I do not think there would be many like Ravi. I would suggest that you watch the YouTube videos below before you read any further:
http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=6PrleqeCAPw
http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=-URtZfIgKAU
Welcome back!
Now that you have watched these videos I am sure you will by mighty impressed with Ravi. I was impressed and inspired by him. A kid who has not been to school manages to speak so many languages. Languages like French, Italian, Spanish, Arabic, Iranian and some other languages too. He learnt those many languages by listening and observing the tourists who visit Mumbai. I can’t figure out how he could have managed to learn so many languages in the process of selling stuff on the street. He started selling stuff on the road when he was a 5 year old kid. That age when kids are supposed to be in schools. He is so confident when talking to a stranger. I know the English that he is speaking in the video is not grammatically perfect. This is the very fact that I like about him. He does not care whether he is perfect. Maybe because he doesn’t know that he is making mistakes. Whatever maybe the reason, I learnt from these videos on him that it is not always important to achieve perfection in life. Sometimes just being effective is enough. He also teaches you that whatever you do, do it with conviction. The videos highlight the fact that learning need not necessarily happen within the four walls of a classroom. If you are observant and keen enough you can learn stuff by just observing things that happen around you. By saying this I do not mean that I am supporting child labor. I personally feel that this kid deserves to be educated. He who has such a good learning ability will do wonders if he gets an opportunity to get educated.
I am of the view that this guy puts a question mark on the education system that we have. Don’t you feel that we lay too much emphasis on bookish knowledge? We train our kids to mug up answers to questions and write it down during exams. Whether they have actually understood what they have learnt simply doesn’t matter. Application is not given any significance. Least attention is given to the practical side of learning. On the other hand, here is a kid who has not been to any classroom and yet manages to speak so many languages. Just look at ourselves. We would be so bothered about achieving perfection and stress ourselves out thinking about how people would react to what we say or do. Will they make fun of us? Ravi is a great example for every one of us to follow. I liked the confident manner in which he was talking. I wish someday he will make it big. His name is Ravi, which means Sun in Hindi. I truly feel it is an apt name for him. He definitely shines bright like the Sun.
PS:
I express my gratitude to sufiwindsurfing (youtube member who uploaded the video) and youtube.
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