A viral video featuring a PhD scholar running a food stall in Chennai has taken social media by storm in recent weeks.
The video, shared by popular American vlogger Christopher Lewis, introduces viewers to Tarul Rayan, a Biotechnology PhD student at SRM University who juggles his studies while managing a street food stall.
In the clip, Rayan shares that he has been selling street food for 13 years, starting at the age of 16 to help fund his education. Now, as he pursues his doctoral studies, he continues to balance his academic aspirations with his food stall on the bustling streets of Chennai.
While many admire Rayan's resilience and determination to pursue education, others have seized the opportunity to critique India’s education system, particularly the research sector.
The video was also reshared by Chairman of Mahindra Group, Anand Mahindra, on social media platform X (formerly Twitter).
“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!,” he observed.
Meanwhile, another netizen commented how the PhD scholar is wasting his skills selling street food.
But while many questioned if a highly-qualified candidate selling food on a part-time basis should be something to be proud of, another section of the internet argued that part-time work — common in many countries — should be more accepted in India.
