Hats off to YouTube Maami and Maama !

On the face of it, they seem a typical, traditional, possibly also orthodox Tamilian couple staying in Srirangam, the small, well known temple town near Trichy, Tamilnadu. Yet there is something extremely atypical about Mr. and Mrs. Radhakrishnan (known as Srirangam Radhu, Youtube Maami/Maama) who own a YouTube channel with about 500 videos featuring various recipes,  traditional prayers and tips. They say that it all started with their son marrying a Canadian and settling down in Canada. Mrs. Geetha Radhakrishnan, a retired school teacher, with the expert assistance of her husband, made a recipe video for her son who was missing traditional home food. What started with a single video for a family member is now a full blown channel guiding tens of thousands of amateur cooks across the world through simple indian (especially, south indian) recipes.

If one can understand Tamil, one would observe that merely watching a 5 minute video of theirs, gives a sense of home. While maami(aunty, in Tamil), clad in traditional everyday south indian attire does all the culinary action - cutting, grinding, frying and roasting, maama (uncle, in Tamil) keeps trotting behind her with his video camera, asking curious questions and cracking occasional jokes. Every video ends with an 'all the best' for the viewers (originally meant for just their son) and sometimes with a jocular "Try panni paarungo. It is our maiden venture too. Eppidi irkaporado engalukke inime daan teriyum" (You try this and see. We ourselves will know how its going to taste only now since this our maiden venture) from maama.

What amazes me about this couple is their acceptance of cosmopolitanism and change while still being soaked in Tamilian tradition. One will observe maami using words like 'desiccated coconut' and 'fenugreek seeds'. Every now and then, she also seems to be suggesting her son to use lesser chilli (peppers) than she is using in the video because 'enga aatula engalukku ippidi pudikum. aana unga aatula kaaram aavaade avalo." (In our home, we like it a little spicy but in your home, spice is not preferred). They definitely do not seem to be moping about how their son is missing Indian food.  They do not seem to be complaining that they are having to do things which their parents or relatives or neighbors are probably not. Instead they have embraced technology, learning to use the camera, uploading on YouTube, adding a western touch and variety to their recipes every now and then (evident in corn cheese pulao, oatmeal idli, 7 in 1 cake etc.),  responding graciously to fans, sharing traditional cooking tips, explaining how to perform prayers during festivals (how to arrange items in front of the deity etc.) and so much more. I think it is this open-mindedness and the enthusiasm that deserves a salute.  And I am sure I am not alone in my praise and admiration for Mr.& Mrs. Radhakrishnan.