It’s never too late to show the world what you can do and follow your passion! At the age of 85,
Vijay Nischal decided to follow her lifelong passion - cooking! Within six months, she has amassed a loyal (and growing! fandom) online.
In an interview with the
Humans Of Bombay,
Nischal said that she was always drawn to the culinary arts, as her father was an accomplished cook. Along with her father, she used to whip up dinners for the family. Although she always wanted to do something for herself, that dream never quite materialised.
“When I entered my 30s, I got married and then my life revolved around my family. '‘
Kuch karne ka sapna’ sirf ek sapna reh gaya…aur 60 saal guzar gaye. (The dream of having my own business remained a dream and 60 years went by)..” she told the magazine.
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However, destiny did have something in store for her! In September 2023, Nischal’s grandson Krish came to her with a hard-to-refuse offer: A YouTube channel to show off her formidable culinary skills!
Nischal admitted that she was apprehensive about how the public would react. However, she brushed those fears aside and decided to take the plunge. “ I still remember our first shoot. I was so nervous. Kr
ish ne itne saare instructions diye, kuch samajh hi nahi raha tha. He showed me how to stand, make the food look nice, and even talk to the camera. But as soon as he uploaded the video, so many people messaged saying, ‘
Waah Dadi!’ And so many said that I reminded them of their own Dadi!
Bahut acha laga sun kar. Aur tumhe pata hai beta? 2 hi mahino mai 1 million followers ho gaye the Instagram pe. And so many people even started watching my videos on YouTube.
Maine yeh kabhi sapno mai bhi socha nahi tha..” she told Humans Of Bombay gleefully.
Although watching her fandom grow day by day is extremely flattering, it’s the ability to start a food business of her own that makes her feel validated. “It's been 6 months since we started! Okay - people follow me on the internet. But the thing that makes me the happiest is that at 85, I have done something of myself! And now this is just the beginning. Because I have always cooked food, but life is tasty now,” she told the publication.
Nischal’s cooking channel ‘Dadi Ki Rasoi’ today boasts 1.4 million followers on YouTube and 13K subscribers on YouTube.