“I recall being at my mother’s friend’s office when I was young—seventh grade perhaps,” recalls Yuvan Aves, “Someone asked me what I wanted to become when I grew up.”
“A naturalist!” the boy responded with enthusiasm only to hear jokes about the lack of financial stability that such professions would lead to. Amidst the roaring laughter, the young boy was lost in his thoughts. “What is so funny about wanting to be a naturalist?” he wondered.
At sixteen, Yuvan decided formal schooling was not for him. He dropped out and pursued his A-levels and college through distance education while working at a residential school in Chengalpet. He had a new proposition for the teachers at the nearby government schools. “I will take the students out for educational walks around the fields of paddy,” he proposed with confidence.
The young naturalist assured the teachers that the students would get better marks from his revolutionary method of teaching. “At that point, I was hoping that the outdoors would excite the children enough to study better,” he chuckles. Linking everyday life with academics seemed to have done the trick. To everyone’s surprise, Yuvan’s walks made an impact on the students.
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