A South Indian Youtube Channel has made history today ..

Village Cooking Channel run by 6 brothers - Ayyanaar, Subramanian, Murugesan, Muthu Manickam, Tamizh Selvan and their grandfather has become the first South Indian Channel to get 1 crore subscribers. Independant Youtubers and internet users all over India have been showering praises for this rural team who have managed to create a channel without an internet connection.

In their village, farming is the primary occupation. However, agriculture keeps the residents occupied for 6 months in a year. During the 6-month sabbatical, many young men from the village leave the town for construction related work opportunities in Singapore and USA. All 6 of them planned to take a detour towards foreign lands when one of them suggested creating a Youtube Channel.

"Many village folk had left to different parts of the world just to keep their family afloat. After 6 months when they get back, you can see them building their own houses. When they walk through the streets, we can smell their perfume fragrance. Then one day, we no longer can sense the aroma. This signifies that have swiped clean all their money. But they deserve respect. They are struggling by themselves thousands of miles away, just to serve 3 meals for the family that they have left behind." says Ayyanaar.

In 2016, Subramanian had sold his website to a corporate entity and convinced his cousins to stay in the village and nurture a Youtube Channel. They had invited their grandfather to join and help them cook. Their videos are shot in a natural landscape with a dense foliage in the background. With no BGM, the videos are accompanied only by the sounds of gushing rivers and chirping sparrows. The therapeutic experience garnered them subscribers from across the world.

"We ensure that the title of the video is typed in English so that we can reach a wider audience across the globe."

Unfortunately, their initial videos did not resonate well since they tried to ape the editing pattern of traditional TV channels. Then they realised that they need a new idea. The resorted to curating a rural feast using local ingredients and recipes special to the village. The editor, Subramanian says that he learnt video editing to the run the channel. The videos always start with enthusiastic youngsters welcoming the viewers and diving straight into work. Their energy and happiness that follows the cooking truly sets them apart from other cooking channels.

The farmers turned Youtubers became philanthropists over the next few months. They leave their houses 7am in the morning with their cooking essentials and reach a dense forest. They cook for 7 hours, return to the village and feed their food to 650 impoverished rural folk. Being a village with bare minimum necessities, internet was a luxury. Subramaniam reveals that he edits the videos on his MAC and upload them using his mobile 3G as hotspot which will take 3 hours of time to upload a 10minute video.

A subscriber Mr Dinesh visited their town to experience them in LIVE action. He was spellbound with their cooking methods. He infomed his sister, MP Jothimani, about this channel, who in turn passed on this news to Congress Party Leader, Rahul Gandhi.

"I was so sure Rahul Gandhi will not turn up as our village is not connected to well-maintained roads. " says the grandfather. Rahul Gandhi, being a humble leader, visited their hermitage and helped clean, cook and dined with them. "I will see you all again", said Rahul while leaving the village. They claim that this incident was a turning point in their lives. Since then, many stars from South India have contacted them for a LIVE cooking experience.

In their latest video where they unbox a Diamond Button from Youtube, they are seen admiring the case in which the button was packed. Their fascination towards the button, case and the key, has won our hearts. Their innocence was evident when they thanked all their brothers and sisters who work for Youtube.

They visited Chennai in July 2021 and presented a COVID relief cheque for 10 lakh rupees directly to the CM of Tamilnadu, MK Stalin. "We have made this donation on behalf of our subscribers as it was their encouragement that has kept us going."

Village Cooking Channel becomes the first South Indian and Tamil Channel to get 1 crore subscribers. In 2021, all 6 of them have built houses for themselves without leaving their homelands.