A month-old video featuring a PhD student balancing his studies while operating a food stall in the streets of Chennai has recently attracted the interest of Anand Mahindra, the chairperson of Mahindra and Mahindra.
Mahindra shared the video on his X account with a brief note: “This clip went viral a while ago. An American vlogger discovers a Ph.D. candidate running a food stall, part-time.”
He then went on to highlight what really impressed him in the video: “What struck me as truly special, however, was the end, when he picks up his phone & the vlogger thinks he’s going to show him social media mentions of his stall—but instead, he proudly shows him online the research papers he has authored! Incredible. Unique. Indian.”
See the post:
This clip went viral a while ago.
An American vlogger discovers a Ph.D candidate running a food stall, part-time.
What struck me as truly special, however, was the end, when he picks up his phone & the vlogger thinks he’s going to show him social media mentions of his… pic.twitter.com/e9zMizTJwG
— anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) October 4, 2024
Within hours of being uploaded, the post garnered over 700,000 views. However, many users didn’t perceive the video positively and expressed their reactions in the comments section.
One user, an AI entrepreneur, wrote, “No offense, this is not a great video. It’s great he’s working, but a PhD should use his skills in research, not just selling food. We’ve failed to provide him a setting where he can truly apply his education.” Another user wrote, “Romanticism of people’s hardship in the name of nationalism.”
A third user commented, “YES he is selling food, YES maybe the system has let him down, YES such talented individuals should get what they deserve………..BUT the best thing is the PRIDE with which Rayan is handling the situation.”
US vlogger Christopher Lewis posted a video of Tarul Rayan, a student he met while exploring Chennai’s local food scene. After discovering a food cart on Google Maps, Lewis decided to try some Chicken 65. In the clip, he orders the dish and chats with Rayan, who reveals he is pursuing a PhD in biotechnology at SRM University, leaving Lewis pleasantly surprised.