Hey, I gotta tell you about this super cool grandma from Maharashtra who’s a YouTube star at 74! Her name’s Suman Dhamne, and her channel, Aapli Aaji, is like the best cooking show ever. Suman Dhamne’s YouTube success story is so awesome because she started from zero and now earns ₹5-6 lakh a month! That’s like a gazillion rupees for a kid like me, and it all started with her grandson’s crazy idea.
Suman lives in a tiny village called Sarola Kasar, near Ahmednagar. She never went to school and didn’t know what YouTube was until her 17-year-old grandson, Yash Pathak, showed her some cooking videos. One day, he asked her to make pav bhaji, and she was like, “I can do better than those videos!” Her pav bhaji was so yummy that Yash decided to start a YouTube channel for her in March 2020. Now, Aapli Aaji has 1.79 million subscribers and millions of views every month! Suman makes traditional Maharashtrian food like karela sabzi, puran poli, and bhakarwadi, using homemade spices that make everything taste like home.
But Suman Dhamne’s YouTube success story wasn’t easy. She was super scared of the camera at first. She told The Better India she felt shy about her looks and even stammered when filming. Plus, she didn’t know tech stuff, and Yash had to teach her things like how to say “baking powder” in English. They used just a smartphone to shoot videos, and Yash edited them while studying for his 10th-grade exams. Talk about multitasking! The worst part was when their channel got hacked in October 2020, and some videos disappeared. Suman was so upset she didn’t eat for a day, but they got it back in four days and kept going.
What makes Suman’s channel special is her real, grandma-like vibe. She cooks in Marathi, and her recipes are simple, like the food your mom or grandma makes. People on X love her, with posts calling her “Maharashtra’s pride” and “the coolest aaji ever.” Her videos get millions of views because they’re full of love and old-school flavors. She even won a YouTube Silver Play Button, which is a big deal! Now, she and Yash sell her homemade spices because fans kept asking for them. They get orders from all over, and Suman still farms on her 30-acre land when she’s not cooking.
I think Suman Dhamne’s YouTube success story is so inspiring because she shows you can do anything if you try, even at 74! She didn’t let her age, no school, or tech troubles stop her. Yash helped her a ton, but Suman’s hard work and yummy recipes made her a star. She’s planning festive recipes for Diwali and Dussehra, and I can’t wait to watch them. Her story makes me wanna help my grandma do something cool, maybe start a channel too! If Suman can become a YouTube queen, anyone can chase their dreams, right? Go check out Aapli Aaji and try her recipes—you’ll love her as much as I do!