Ever seen a cooking video and wondered that you can make the dish much better than the person in the video? Well, this happened with Suman Dhamane, a 70-year-old grandmother from rural Maharashtra who is a Youtube sensation now.      

It all started when Dhamane’s 17-year-old grandson Yash Pathak asked his grandmother to make Pav Bhaji. After checking out a couple of recipe videos she modified the recipe and made it even more delicious. Yash told The Better India about the idea of starting a channel.     

I don’t know what she changed from the recipe videos, but the food was loved in the family. That is when the idea struck me to come up with a channel. 

She and her millennial grandson came to the conclusion that they should start their own cooking channel on YouTube and came up with Aapli Aaji. They uploaded their first video- a bitter gourd recipe.    

After this, there was no stopping Suman. From groundnut chutney to Maharashtrian sweet dishes, her Maharashtrian recipes and desi spices instantly struck a chord with so many hearts and foodies online. 

Without a formal degree or proper education, Dhamane has over 4000 subscribers in just six months since she started the channel. Not only that, she has more than 140 recipes made out of scratch on the channel which has garnered a Youtube creator’s award.    

But her journey was not that easy. Initially there were technical glitches and internet issues that they faced. Her grandson Yash didn’t know how to deal with editing and network issues either in the beginning. 

Moreover, Suman was also quite uncomfortable facing the camera and pronouncing English words. But with practice and help she achieved it. 

With experience, I learned to find an ideal time length for videos. Grandma did not know many English words like baking powder, sauce and others. I taught her to pronounce them correctly. 

Suman loves how people love here dishes. On public demand, they have even started making and selling their special spices on a commercial basis. Currently, Suman is excited and working to get some festive special food for Diwali and Dusshera. 

You can check out her channel here.