Ever tried vlogging your trip or filming a recipe ‘just for fun’ — only to realise how tricky it is?

Getting the right angle, decent lighting, clear audio, and then spending hours figuring out how to edit, upload, and share, it’s no cakewalk. Now imagine doing all of that without AI tools, a ring light, a fancy camera, or even a stable internet connection. Just you, a basic smartphone, a patchy signal, and a big dream.

That’s exactly how Kaushalya Chaudhary, a 30-year-old from the small village of Kuri in Rajasthan, began her journey.

Armed with nothing but determination and a deep love for cooking, Kaushalya set up a makeshift studio in her village kitchen, learned video editing through handwritten notes, and spent nights on the roof just to upload a single YouTube video.

Today, she’s not just a self-taught cook and beloved digital creator, but also the founder of ‘Sidhi Marwari’ — a clean food brand reviving traditional Rajasthani spices and cold-pressed oils, now reaching homes across the world.

But this isn’t just a story about food. It’s a story of dreams, grit, and staying rooted — like literally.

A childhood cooked in simplicity

Growing up in a humble farming family, Kaushalya’s life was like that of most girls in rural India: school in the morning, chores in the evening. “I used to go to the fields, feed the cows, then go to school,” she recalls.

As the eldest of four siblings, she often found herself in the kitchen, especially when her mother was busy in the fields. “When my mother came home tired, I would cook something for her. The joy on her face when she liked my food, that’s when I started falling in love with cooking,” she smiles.

Trapped by tradition but driven by purpose

Kaushalya had once dreamed of becoming a doctor. She studied science in Class 12 and was full of hope. But life had other plans — marriage came right after her board exams. “I suddenly found myself doing farm work like my mother. That’s when I asked myself: why did I study for 12 years if I was to end up here again?”

With few job opportunities in her village and social norms that didn’t permit daughters-in-law to work outside, Kaushalya, the only daughter-in-law of their home, felt boxed in. “My grandmother and mother-in-law thought that if I went out to work, then who would do the household chores? And who will take care of the guests coming to the house?” shares Kaushalya, highlighting the mentality of people coming from rural backgrounds.

But instead of giving up, she turned inward and decided, “I have to do something. Even if it’s within these........

© The Better India