The Elephants in My Backyard | Rajiv Surendra | TEDxUofT
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- Опубликовано: 27 июн 2017
- Rajiv Surendra will share the story of how he went from Mean Girls' Kevin G., to respected chalk artist, to a recently published author. His memoir "The Elephants in My Backyard" recounts his failed attempt to win the lead role in Life of Pi. It is an inspiring tale of taking risks and following one's dreams, of process and determination, and looking back on one's endeavors - be they successes or colossal defeats - with new appreciation and meaning.
Rajiv Surendra is a Canadian actor, artist, and writer and a University of Toronto alum. He is most known for portraying Kevin G. in the comedy Mean Girls, and for his 2016 book The Elephants in My Backyard, a memoir of his failed attempt to win the lead role in the 2012 film Life of Pi.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx
Who’s here after that awesome feature in HGTV Handmade?? I am obsessed with him!! ❤️
Me too! That's where I stumbled upon him.
Yup!
Thanks to the algorithms I'm also here and enjoying his story.
Me lollll
Me ! 😊
I just watched Rajiv's interview on HGTV Handmade, which led me here. In the space of 45 minutes I've decided that I could listen to him forever. What an inspirational man!
Ha! Me too!
Hmmm seems like a trend here! Never heard of him till last night in the hgtv video. Couldn't stop talking about him to my family! So inspiring!
Same! I can’t get enough of this guy !
He is just such an interesting man. You are so right!
Same here.. Have followed a trail which brought me here also..
MAGIC...NEVER STOP BELIEVING.
Nice to see him wearing his favourite tweed (with the salmon lining!)
It’s not that one..that one is darker brown and other pattern
Hahahaha 😂😂😂 you watched the HGTV documentary with him !
Shout out to Deborah and those two sheep 👏
OhEmGee! Love this guy!! Great taste in clothes!
The fave tweed handmade by his friend Dorothy!
Anyone else find this Ted talk because they watched his HGTV handmade segment and found themselves in the “I love Rajiv!” rabbit hole?
Also a must watch: his Morgan Library Museum video’s... I think his spirit is the perfect pick me up for the post-2020-funk some of us have found ourselves in.
It seems the RUclips algorithm is blessing everyone with Rajiv this week! 😆
I so know what you mean ...the most interesting man ...does he have a channel etc Anywhere ? if you happen to know I'd appreciate it . Thankyou from U.K.
@@nannybluebelle8643 he's on Instagram, just type in his name : )
Jana Rea Aww Thankyou Jane for your time ...unfortunately my iphone is only a seven ( I think ) and don't know if it has enough room for Instagram. If I ever get a phone with more space ( I rely on hand me down phones ) then I will definitely look into the world you all call Instagram lol . Thankyou again for the info and your time . Have a good day 😊
oh my goodness - he's my new HERO along with Robin Wall Kimmerer. Serendipity found him for me today !
I just searched up Rajiv's book and as it turns out he narrated the Life of Pi audiobook so I hope that fulfilled his dream of being Pi after all!
What?! I love that story! Now I have to listen to him read it to me❤️
@@fatherofchickens7951 me too!
Omg.. thank u. I needed this... I found myself getting angry at Suraj sharma lool
Wow
Whats PI?? =Police insider??
I am officially a Rajiv Fan now.
Same here
Same , I am learning calligraphy and he such an inspiration.
Me too
Me too.
Actually, I believe to have felt, being that, for a long time; a journey that very rapidly, became an inspiration. I happened to have been blessed, meet a few Rajiv, in the course of my life. Yet, rarely, with exception to those who passed away, most came to move away from his genuineness. I feel blessed to have met him here. I do hope, my soul, one day, will receive that divine intervention, where I will become invited into sharing moments of his next life. I'll wait patiently for being this priviledged!
The secret is going from failure to failure without losing your enthousiasm. Success is often a dead end it doesn't allow you as with failure to analyse and improve your game. I like this guy.
That was quotable @stephanie_murray!
I watched the film starring Robert Redford ,and I have the name on the tip of my tongue. I annoyed myself trying to remember it's name. I recall the long watch, it's a long film. Redford was excellent. Adrift ? Help !
@@corryjookit7818 try Reddit tip of my tongue... good luck!
I'm blown away by his talent. He's so creative, curious and meticulous. And inspiring too.
I agree! He has so many layers and depth. He is a one of a kind person, in his own category!🌻
He epitomizes how absolutely freeing and joyous it is, to embrace your eccentricities in an authentic, graceful, funny, charming, eloquent and reverent way. He is the "real deal".
ABSOLUTELY...
Eccentric????
This should have been just another ted talk that i would have ignored but here i am. I'm so glad i watched his interview in HGTV handmade.
Dude ia freaking awesome. How can someone talk with such passion and inspiration
Started out with one Rajiv vid, now glued to the fourth...almost like binging into whole seasons of faves in Netflix.
Same!
Me too. What lovely guy
Such an interesting man! If he wants to do something he just learns how to do it!
Same here!
true!!!!
I discovered him today through “that” video, thank you RUclips algorithm… and I am so in love
The way he demonstrated the difference in accent between north and south of India at 9:52 as he articulated the statement is genius.
Well, he did change his accent a bit there, but it’s not just Hindi in the north and Tamil in the south! Honestly, it didn’t highlight either of the accents that well. There many other languages, each of which has a different accent when people speak English.
@@smudigere oh be quiet. There’s always one.
@@Chamelikishaadi48 I know, right.
This man is an inspiration. Everything he does, he gives his heart to it. I love what he is doing with his life. He is intentional with it.
Such a Renaissance man! What a wonderful recipe for life!
Yes..
Ditto
Exactly what I wrote!
Well said Kathy...
Rajiv is so fearless in the way he lives his life. He is a true inspiration to us all.
Rajiv is so easy on the eyes and so funny and interesting.
I’m obsess also with his talent, his collection of art calligraphy, his intelligence , his letter writing .… Genius ?
Rajiv needs to do his own RUclips channel !!!!🍾👌🏼 An interesting dude and very articulate with a lot of talent …..
I agree wholeheartedly!
You may already know, but just in case, he will have his own show on Discovery called Homeboy. I think it’s coming out sometime in January 2022.
He has one already...Awesome !!!
He has a channel now.
He makes failing a beautiful thing. Purified by time.
@Word Ink … so beautifully put!!! 👍🇨🇦
We have fallen in love with Rajiv! We want to see more Rajiv content!
What a charming, intelligent, sweet soul. 🙏🏼
You are a remarkable young man with an old wise sprit. Just look at all your accomplishments. Taking a quote from Mick Jagger song “you may not get what you want, but you may get what you need”. And this my brown skin brother from a 70 year old brown woman is so true. Sending peace, positive vibes and may God keep chasing you with blessings ✨
And now in late 2023 Those who know Rajiv know him as a Renaissance Man that you can learn many things from on his RUclips channel☺️✨✌️❤️🙏🏼
Rajiv Surendra is doing the Sri Lankan Tamil community proud
How has this video not taken off? It’s such a fantastic talk!
well I watched it today june 2021, it will do the rounds eventually...
The same reason why his acting career didn’t take off even though he is so talented.. I hate to say it …the same reason why Mena Massoud despite his talent doesn’t get big Hollywood parts other than to audition for terrorists…
His videos on hand made curios, artifacts, his apt, his hobbies, the people he met, his talents - they are great. This is OK but not great. I was disappointed but he is amusing here & a good sense of humor & confidence. He took something not important & turned into something useable for a Tex talk. That takes talent.
I came across him by accident on YouTuibe showing his wonderful apartment. He is so engaging. Then I saw this, I did not know he was an actor and Canadian. I am now a huge fan of his fantastic personality.
He is just fascinating! 💙💙💙 Didn't know he was in mean girls! Goal! To Meet Him In Person.
That's my goal too...I really need to meet Rajiv...
It hurts by even listening to what happened to him... I feel like giving him a hug 😢
Life of Pi is a favored book, favored story. The film was good. I especially love Ang Lee. However, after hearing your story, I hope you get the chance, still. Life is weird and you never know...
I too just found out about you today through a tour of your NYC apartment. I am now fascinated by Rajiv Surendra. What an interesting human. 🌿🕊️💕
That's exactly how I found out about you. My sons both went to U of T and will be forwarding this to them. Earlier I forwarded the NYC apt tour which I loved!
@@constancemunch2728 Me too.
Interesting human is a great compliment.
I am hooked since watching his NYC home tour. There is something very special about him :)
Me too... that's how I came to know about him... he's a renaissance man
Same way I discovered him
I'm obsessed with him So creative ,I keep learning more and more about him its crazy. What can't he do He's phenomenal.
How can one person be so fearless, creative, charming, talented, beautiful... The list goes on.
This guy is very amusing. I am sorry he did not get the lead in The Life of Pi. But God had something else in mind for you.
This man is adorable.
What an interesting man. I love the way he thinks and I like how he is so motivated and takes initiative on his goals and dreams. I admire his courage and confidence. I want to be more like him.
Moral: We will all fail. Why not fail in an epic way!
A creative and interesting man who is also funny and has an important message. Failure is a path to success and sometimes it's a path to something even better. Well done Rajiv. 🥰
I could watch Rajiv forever!! What an extraordinary human being xx
He's great, so versatile and very well spoken!
Loved this talk. I came here from the HGTVs Handmade. Decided to see if there was anything else on RUclips about this awesome artist. Beautiful work. Great talk.
me 2🤝
It's really refreshing to learn about embracing failure and picking yourself up. I learned from this book that your dreams might not come true, but there's much more to life you don't even realize.
Your comment made me think of the same message in _It’s a Wonderful Life_❤
Psychologically sound, talented, funny, Inspirational! And so good looking too! Love this guy. So grateful to bring him into my life.
Just the amount of positivity coming in from these comments gives me goosebumps and hope.. and it’s inspiring. There is still a lot of good left in this world.
Rajiv,
I hope there’s enough time and air in the room for you to complete your magical, beautiful curiosity. Love you.
A most engaging and interesting and multi talented person. Love him.
What a surprise to see Rajiv doing a TEDTALK. I had no idea of his back story. Very interesting. I'm sorry he didn't get the part in PI. But he grew from the experience and continued forward. If they ever do a remake of it I hope they consider him for the part. He is an interesting person. I so enjoy his outlook on life and his videos. Thank you Rajiv!!
This man can talk to me about anything.
Noooo my heart literally broke when I realised that he didn’t get the part!! But damn! This man!! I’m in love with him now! Where do I sign up to be a part of the fan club?
If your heart had literally broken, it would be chopped into pieces and you'd be dead. People, if you insist on using this word, puhleeze use it correctly. Literally.
😀
@@deniseunterman9652 who hurt u as a child
LOL if you pause at 14:06 you can see what the crowd was laughing at. Love this dude's wisdom and sense of humor.
He makes me want to not be sad.
You summed it up perfectly
You said it so well. This is exactly how he makes me feel.
Making things is a good antidote to sadness. It gets absorbing and one thing made leads you to make another, and on you go. Sadness lifts a little and satisfaction fills more of the space.
Amazing person... and gorgeous too. That skin tone, the voice, the face full of character, the arts and crafts, the personality, so authentic, just to mention a few, just awesome!
A man who has never fallen on his face, he finds his feet and walks the talk. Brilliant
you know what they should remake life of pi with you, I would definitely watch it
He is a truly a gifted young man. He even cooks.
What a Beautiful adventure you had while pursuing the role. The role would have been the grand finale but still, you had a wonderful adventure leading to new friendships, acquired skills, a connection to your roots and heritage, and now here you are. A wonderful human who is inspiring so many with your beautifully led life.
So true! Wonderfully put
ABSOLUTELY...
Love him very much! He is extremely talented and a really lovely person, full of life and passion! Rajiv😍 celebrate life and uniqueness.
Rajiv shares the message of life and perseverance. A message for all.
I love this guy!!!! He is AMAZING
Just found out about Rajiv last night after watching his letter writing video and I am officially obsessed.
All this talent and funny too !
reading the book now. Loving it! And I am obsessed with every video he's done!
Most talented person on the planet.
I've been seeing this TEDx Talk thumbnail for days now and Saved it "to Watch Later", until today when I decided that the HGTV NYC apartment may be more interesting... found out it was just precursor to discovering this wonderfully, intelligently witty, smart, hardworking, multi-passionate artist who's simply humble and optimistic. I'm going to follow this artist's social media anywhere and send him God's blessings all the way.
Exactly!
I adore Rajiv! He’s the whole package in every way. This guy should have his own show / be cast in movies/ give commencement speeches at Ivy League schools. He’s a Renaissance man hes talented he’s funny he’s wise and his hair is insanely beautiful. I’ve turned more creative directors onto Rajiv’s you tube posts. I love everything he loves down to his love of string. Brown paper. Ironstone soap dishes. His eye for detail. This story of his chasing the role in life of pi was amazing. He should have gotten that role. He’s utterly magnetic. This guy is to be watched.
What a sweet soul❤️❤️
Oh, I have no doubt whatsoever that there is much, much more to come from (and for) this wonderful human being.
What I get from this talk is that the journey is just as important, if not more, than the destination. Although he didn’t reach, what he would consider his destination, is there really a destination? The journey is what helped create more richness, depth, and connection to his roots. He became a different person, even though he did not get the leading role. But he was chosen to narrate for the Life of Pi audiobook. What an inspirational story! Love to all!♥️
Why have I just discovered this beautiful young man? I found his little RUclips about his flat and was gobsmacked by his aesthetic and the authenticity of his various crafts. This is a renaissance man wrapped in a small, but perfect, body. I followed by trying to learn how to do bookbinding. Thru that adventure I learned that Rajiv was an excellent teacher. And then, tonight, I found his Ted talk at U of T (as an aside: I'm a 77yo grandmother, and I have never left my home country of Australia, but I had a connection to UofT. My erstwhile daughter-in-law taught there and spent a year there with my son..My eldest grandchild was conceived there. So there's all that) so I had to watch this talented young man, this craftsman of many crafts, and see what he had to say for himself. He is even more multi-talented than I previously thought. A raconteur, and adventurer, an actor, an authentic person. Now I have to go watch all his output so that I can fan-girl some more. Thanks to you Rajiv, I have now got a purpose to being on RUclips.
Rewatched “Mean Girls” just to see him. He really lights of the screen with his brilliance.
This guys is a pure expression and I’m here for it! ❤️
He's AMAZING 🤩🤩🤩🤩 This young man has been on so many journeys in his short life. He's inspirational on so many levels. Can't wait to see his new "thang."
You are the man..
Have just discovered you...
The stuff dreams are made of turned into reality..failure is not what you imagined..it makes you..success comes from failing ..thank you for being you.⭐
What Rafa Nadal brings to sport, Rajiv brings to art. Love him!
Making a failure into success by writing that book was great. Very inspiring talk.
I would love to meet him in person. So nice
Smiling so big after watching this. Thanks. I’m on a kind of hiatus from “doing the work”. Watching your talk, and the HGTV profile on you is refreshing and inspiring. Absolutely love the cover of your book. Off to check it out.
You are a beast...at life. Such inspiration especially at this time. Thank you.
Would love to have him as a friend or neighbor!!...such an interesting individual and could listen to him all day!!...thought I was going to see a 400 square foot NY apt but was just taken in by his persona!!...so hear I am listening to him and enjoying him some more!!...what a delightful discovery!!
TV Networks of the world: Give him a show already!!! He is brilliant and I will watch anything with him on it. 😬
A gift to us all!! Thank you Kevin G.
Watched his video yesterday, sent alotbof today smiling thinking about how he is pure gold as q human. He really is special.
I love Rajiv.... One of the most interesting people on the planet. A true Renaissance man.
Love his RUclips tutorials.
What a freakin legend. Thanks for existing and sharing your experiences ❤️🙏🏼
Rajiv is a very talented young man. A very interesting person with wonderful interests. I agree I could listen to him for hours !
Just plain really like him ! Wishing him all the best in his future endeavors !
I also found Rajiv on HGTV Handmade Apartment. So lovely, so essentially Rajiv. I love how he attains beautiful things that he enjoys!
Obtains? :)
Rajiv, you rekindle my energy, enthusiasm in little tasks, in seemingly little things which are huge really. You inspire me to go back and do calligraphy... take pride in doing seemingly small tasks... thank you. You got me through my Covid bout.
I think we need a Rajiv Surendra fan club!
Just read his book and it is brilliant.
Rajiv if you are ever in Vancouver, coffee is on me.
what a renaissance man - this guy is an artist and pretty damn funny!
Just found this genius!!
Iam writing HGTV and Demanding they book him!!!
I watched this video suggestion about his apartment tour. Even though I didn’t know who he was I jumped in to watch it for the ideas it could give me. And I found a really interesting person who reminds you about all the tiny dreams you just hoard and don’t do anything about… we get ‘busy’ doing things in the name of careers/professional life but in the end the heart bleeds for just happiness that comes from doing simple things and we always..always ignore the heart.
we shouldn't ignore the whisper of the heart
Rajiv is the best, loved learning a bit more about him.
A true down to earth Canadian, who doesn’t give up and pushes himself to always be/ do better! I will watch more of his vlogs on HGTV for sure. Am wishing him well and great success in all his endeavours!
I love everything about Rajiv and his apartment! Inspiring & delight!
Rajiv...you definitely are much more successful than you expected. You are meant to make it bigger, good luck.
I’ve been watching Rajiv on RUclips since he started and did not once realize he was Kevin. I’ve watched Mean Girls way too many times to not realize
This is what is called in the business..... 'paying your dues'.
He certainly dreamt the dream[s] and put in the work and the results are the results that are.
I was disappointed with Life of Pi movie's lead actor, as he wasn't as I'd envisioned from the book. Rajiv would have been much closer to that character, I feel. He is wonderful, too. What a great talk.
This guy has my heart ....
I don't know how you've gotten added to my feed, but you are great.