The kicha'n prodigy!

Six-year-old Nihal Raj from Kochi bowled over online audiences by effortlessly cooking some mouth-watering delicacies on his YouTube channel “Kichatube.” Recently, Facebook acquired the rights of his Mango ice cream video for $2,000, making him an overnight international star. About his idea of starting a YouTube channel, Nihal says, “When I was four-year-old, I used to follow Evantube by Evan, who in his videos reviews toys and more. He is my inspiration and I wanted to start my own channel. At the same time, I used to help my mother (a home baker) around the kitchen. One day, I wanted to eat a popsicle, but instead of asking my mother, I started making my own using coconut and strawberries. My dad created a video of the same and uploaded it on Facebook. Many people suggested that we should put in on YouTube and that is when we came up with the idea.”

The channel, which was started in January 2015, has around 12-odd videos. Some of the popular recipes shared by Kicha are orange jelly, coconut pudding, tandoori baby potatoes, Easter eggs, Oreo truffles, jam cookies, mug cake, idlis, ice-cream cake coconut water and ice cream popsicles. “His audience is varied and wide and is not restricted to any particular age group,” shares Nihal’s father, V.K. Rajagopal, adding, “We get requests for videos by kids and adults alike. But Nihal is not over excited nor has he let the fame get to him. He continues as a normal kid with a normal routine. He is different from kids his age. Even this Facebook thing, Nihal has been very sensible about. As parents, we also make it a point that he does not spend more than an hour a week on his Kichatube.”

Nihal is in grade one at The Choice School, Cochin and loves spending his free time exploring the world of technology. His inquisitiveness is a big positive too, “He is currently on a discovering spree and has a desire to learn the working and functionality of each and every system. He especially loves to watch unboxing videos,” shares Rajagopal continuing, “When it comes to cooking, his mother Ruby, is his idol. Kicha’s recipes are provided by her, and she keeps them simple and kid-friendly.”

His curiosity about ingredients sees him meet chefs when ever the family goes out for a meal, and his father says, “He loves eating out. Every time we eat out, he goes into the kitchen to meet chefs with his questions. For our wedding anniversary, Kicha, along with Chef JP of Le Meridien, made us a pizza.” To keep his son balanced, the father explains, “It is important to understand your kid’s needs. We want our kids to play football or cricket or paint, or enrol them in coaching classes. It would be much better to take into consideration the child’s interests before thrusting him or her into something they might not enjoy.”

A large part of the sum received from Facebook was donated for the welfare of children in need. Nihal says, “I was very happy when I got to know about Facebook wanting to buy one of my videos. My father suggested that I should donate some of the amount. I liked his idea and with his help, I decided to make a donation towards the education of special needs kids. The rest goes into the bank account to fulfill my dream of visiting the USA.” Kicha’s effortless presentation and passion for cooking is enjoyable to watch. “Presently, he is passionate about being a chef, but once he goes to his advance classes, his thoughts might change. What ever he likes, as parents, we will support whole heartedly,” Rajagopal avers.

Ask Nihal what his plans for the future are, and this little master chef with a charming smile quickly replies, “I am planning to start two more YouTube channels. The channels will be fun-filled interactive sessions that will be informative too. Recently, I uploaded a video Pokemon India, where as a kid I reviewed the game, and loved making the video. I have been waiting for the game for long, now I can finally play it.” Hyperactive, he loves to multi-task and learn as many new things as possible. Yet, he is not confused about his choices thanks to a simple solution.  “When I get confused, I play ‘Inky pinky ponky’ and select,” shares Nihal, adding, “I love cooking easy dishes for friends and fans. It makes me very happy when I get mails and messages from them stating how much they liked my videos.”