© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd
Tags:
Journalism of Courage
Circumstances forced Rajesh Rawani to take to driving trucks to earn his livelihood. Perhaps that’s what he would have done for the rest of his life if his love for food and YouTube had not intervened. Now, innumerable videos later where he teaches his 1.5 million YouTube followers how to cook everything from the humble dal to desi chicken while travelling on a truck has got him a commendation from Anand Mahindra. The chairman of Mahindra Group appreciated how Rawani, a driver for 25 years, is now a celebrity and has bought a house.
Rawani understands the scale of his achievement. Speaking to indianexpress.com, Rajesh Rawani thanked Mahindra for sharing his video and opened up about his new house. “Today Anand Mahindra sir shared my video. I am so happy that such a busy and renowned man tweeted about me. I am happy that my videos are reaching such personalities,” Rawani said in Hindi. He also thanked his YouTube family for supporting him consistently. “I have always lived in a rented house in Ramgarh. My father too lived in a rented house. I managed to buy a house because of their love and support,” he said.
Mahindra wrote on X, “He’s demonstrated that no matter your age or how modest your profession, it’s never too late to adapt to new technology & to REINVENT yourself,” Anand Mahindra wrote on X.
Rawani credits his family’s support for his achievement — his children started uploading his videos on YouTube after he started making them. “We are running both the vehicle and the YouTube channel together. It couldn’t have been possible without my family’s support and help. I am moving in with my family into the new house after three months.”
Born in Jharkhand’s Jamtara, Rawani had to enter the truck-driving business after his father’s death. With help from a friend of his father’s, he became a driver. Further, Rawani spoke of his tough days staying away from his family even during festivals and how he started filming his trips for YouTube. “We are seven members in the family, including my mother, wife and three children. There were several challenges in our life and I had to stay away from home during festivals,” he said.
“My life started transforming when YouTube came into my life. I used to make videos while travelling and my children would upload them on YouTube,” he added.
Speaking about his travels, Rawani shared that his audience loves his content as they like watching new places. “They are curious about new places. In my vlogs also, I try to show how truck drivers only get to stay at home for a day or two. This is the reason why people don’t want their sons or fathers to join this business. It’s been around 25-30 years of me driving trucks,” he said.
