Starting With a Rs 7,500 Phone, She Built a Multi-Lakh YouTube Business With 1.6M Subscribers

Kaushalya Chaudhary, a young woman from Kuri village near Jodhpur in Rajasthan, has become a well-known YouTuber and entrepreneur. She runs a popular YouTube channel called Sidhi Marwadi Kitchen and a traditional food products brand called Sidhi Marwadi.

Her inspiring journey from a small village kitchen to building a business and becoming an internet sensation started with a Rs 7,500 smartphone with which she made her first videos.

Kaushalya Chaudhary became a YouTube star by sharing simple Marwari recipes from her rural kitchen (Photos Courtesy: Kaushalya Choudhary/ Instagram)

She used basic lighting made from LED bulbs and often had to go to the rooftop to upload videos because the internet connection was poor inside the house. In the beginning, she made videos in Hindi, thinking it would help her reach a wider audience. For nearly 18 months, her channel didn’t grow much, and she earned very little.

Then, her grandmother gave her a valuable piece of advice. She suggested that Kaushalya try making videos in Marwari, their native language spoken in many parts of Rajasthan. Kaushalya followed her advice and began speaking in Marwari in her cooking videos.

That small change made a big difference.

Her channel began to grow rapidly. Within a month of switching to Marwari, she gained over one lakh (100,000) subscribers. In just 10 days, she earned Rs 1 lakh from her videos. Her natural way of speaking, her warm personality, and her simple, traditional recipes connected with people—especially those from Rajasthan and Marwari-speaking communities around the world.

Her YouTube channel, Sidhi Marwadi Kitchen, became a huge success. Today, she has over 1.6 million subscribers on YouTube and more than 936,000 followers on Instagram. Her videos are watched by people in India and abroad, including Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) who miss the flavours of home.

From MasterChef finalist to founder of a spice and oil brand, Kaushalya continues to empower rural women from her village

Many viewers say that watching her videos feels like listening to their mother or grandmother cooking in the kitchen.

Kaushalya’s growing popularity brought her many opportunities. She was invited to speak at TEDx at IIT Jodhpur, where she shared her story. She also took part in MasterChef India in 2023–24 and was the only contestant from Rajasthan to reach the Top 12. She was also mentioned in a YouTube-Oxford Economics report as the only creator selected from Rajasthan.

As her fame grew, Kaushalya took another bold step. In March 2024, she launched her own brand called Sidhi Marwadi. Under this brand, she began selling preservative-free, homemade-style food products such as cold-pressed oils and pure spices. She stayed true to her roots by using traditional methods for making these products. The response was overwhelming. The first batches sold out quickly, and soon, orders started coming from both India and abroad.

What makes her brand special is that it also helps others. Kaushalya has created job opportunities for more than 35 women from her village and nearby areas. These women work in small manufacturing units run by her family. For many of them, this was the first time they had ever earned money.

She continues to manage her YouTube channel and her business from her village. Her daily routine is packed—she wakes up early, finishes her household chores, cooks for her family, takes care of her children, and then works on her videos and business. Most of her filming happens late at night, after the children have gone to sleep.

She lives with her husband Virendra Saran, their two children, and extended family in her village. It was her husband who encouraged her to start a YouTube channel to share her recipes with the world and she started the channel in 2017.

Her husband helps with shooting the videos, and sometimes family members join her on screen.
Kaushalya was born on 31 March 1995 into a farming family. She grew up helping her parents in the fields and learning to cook from her elders. As a child, she wanted to become a doctor. But soon after completing her Class 12 exams, she was married, and her dream had to be put aside. Later, she completed her M.A. degree from Jai Narayan Vyas University in Jodhpur.

With her husband Virendra Saran, who encouraged her to start the channel

From using a budget smartphone on a village rooftop to earning lakhs from YouTube and building a fast-selling brand, Kaushalya Chaudhary’s story is a powerful example of what a determined woman can achieve. She has turned her love for cooking into a mission that brings joy to millions, supports rural women, and preserves the taste of tradition.

And she has done it all by staying exactly where she started - at home, in her village, with a heart full of dreams and a kitchen full of love. - TWL Bureau