Raveen Arora of Irving is, in his words, an 'ordinary person.' He is also among the 329 nominees for this year's Nobel Peace Prize.
"If somebody as ordinary as me can be nominated, what's stopping you," Arora asked.
Arora moved to Irving from Arizona to be closer to his daughter and grandchild. In Arizona, he was a successful entrepreneur who started an Indian cultural center to help feed and shelter people who needed it.
"It comes from my very humble beginnings," Arora explained.
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Arora was born in a refugee camp near the slums of Calcutta, India.
"I'm proud to have been a refugee," Arora said. "You can rise like a Phoenix from the ashes and you can still be humble enough, kind enough to people, and make a difference."
Arora pulled himself out of poverty, and worked with Mother Teresa. He brought that humility and humanity to his new home in the United States.
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"I was doing very basic things, things that my mom and dad would be proud of, things that we teach our children in Boy Scouts or Cub Scouts," Arora said "It's character building."
He joins voting rights activist Stacy Abrams, Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, and environmental activist Greta Thunberg on this year's Nobel Peace Prize list of nominees; something Arora never imagined.
"No, not in my wildest dreams," Arora said. "Like I always say; it's good to be blessed, but better to be a blessing."
