Smoke rises out of an enormous steel vessel perched on a fire in a seemingly desolate green field, and only for a moment, it obscures the face of an older, moustached man that millions around the world have come to know and love. Wearing a crisp white shirt and a dhoti, Narayana Reddy from Telangana is making mutton biriyani — carefully sauteing onions and spices and adding handfuls of curry powders, fresh coriander and yoghurt to the meat before frying it on an open flame. Finally, he adds heaps of fluffy, white rice to the preparation before it continues to slowly cook in a hot coal-covered dum.
The video of Narayana making that biriyani has been viewed over 13 million times, and that’s not even close to his most popular preparation. (That would be 37 million views on his french fries video). The face of the massively popular YouTube channel Grandpa Kitchen, Narayana, 73, passed away on October 27, leaving behind legions of fans across the world who felt as if they had lost one of their own.
For his ardent followers, his videos became a source of joy, along with his signature line “Loving. Sharing. Caring. This is my family,” catching on.
A video up on the channel’s YouTube page, which announced the news of his death, was posted on Wednesday evening. At the time of writing, it has racked up 1,42,192 comments and 3.3 million views, though both numbers were steadily increasing. Responses poured in from numerous countries — Brazil, Indonesia, the Philippines, Trinidad & Tobago, Mexico, Turkey and others.
There were also scores of comments with his catchphrase — “Loving. Sharing. Caring. This is my family” being posted in multiple languages, from “Leiben, Teilen, Sorgen” in German to “Amar, Compartir, Cuidar” in Spanish. Many proclaimed that it felt like they had lost their own grandad.
On Reddit too, people posted comments about the impact on their lives and the memory of his other signature catchphrase, ‘Mix well!’
“This is the first time I've ever cried over the death of someone I could never meet. His memory will remain in our hearts, a great person who helped thousands of children to have hope. Mix well!” one comment read.
“Every time I use chilli powder in anything, I hear him saying it in my head. Thank you, grandpa!” read another.
Widely referred to as ‘grandpa’, he earned a loyal following and has 6 million-plus subscribers on YouTube, with many learning from his recipes. Something about the videos clicked with viewers worldwide, and according to scores of comments, he put so much love into his cooking that it inspired people to be better.
He shot to fame for cooking enormous quantities of food — from doughnuts, biryani, pizza and KFC-like fried chicken — which is then distributed to orphanages. He was also known for his chocolate cakes, pancakes, milkshakes and pudding. Unlike so many cooking shows, Narayana’s kitchen didn’t have sleek utensils, a six-burner stove or a high-end oven. Instead, he cooked on an open wood-fired flame, his own watchful eyes and keen intuition serving as his primary tools.
The channel was run by Narayana Reddy’s son, and now many hope that the channel continues, or if another grandpa could take his place to keep his legacy alive.