Taking inspiration from the American YouTube channel EvanTubeHD, he launched his KichaTubeHD YouTube channel in 2015. In his entertaining videos, Nihal showcased unique recipes while donning an apron and an oversized chef’s hat, quickly catapulting him to social media stardom. Growing up, 1,00,000 views or 50,000 views on his videos didn’t quite capture the concept of fame for him. “At that time I was mainly focused on cooking.
I loved talking to people and the camera. Gradually, I realized that many people began to recognize me, although I had never met them,” he says. 2020 Global Child Prodigy Award winner Nihal, 13, reflects on the turning point when Facebook paid him $2,000, non-exclusive rights to his Mickey Mouse Mango Ice Cream video.
Recalling that moment, he says: “I didn’t think much about it at the time. It was just ice cream in the shape of Mickey Mouse, but it completely changed my life,” he says. He further adds, “I started getting invitations to concerts all over the world. First I received invitations from the UK, then from Vietnam, Dubai and from various cities in India,” he says.
Discussing his decision to prepare Kerala Puttu for The Ellen DeGeneres ShowNihal emphasized the importance of staying connected to one’s cultural roots. “I grew up in Kochi. This place made me who I am… I believe we are all influenced by our hometown in one way or another and I like to express that through cooking,” he said, adding that he loves Kerala cuisine, especially breakfast dishes. According to Nihal, his mother Ruby Rajagopal, a homemaker and cake designer, had a big influence on him.
“When I was four years old, I started watching her bake, play with fondant, etc. At that time, I liked to cook and watch cooking shows for kids on YouTube. I made cooking videos and posted them on YouTube. asked my father to help with it and we started the channel when I was about five years old,” Nihal said.
Nihal says he is yet to decide what he wants to do in the future. “Now I’m just in the eighth grade… In my heart I dream of becoming an astronaut, a diplomat, a pilot… I’m going to decide this in a year or two,” he said. speaks. Nihal expresses his awareness that his generation will play a key role in shaping the country’s future in the coming decades.
“Our generation is very advanced due to various factors such as technology, access to information and so on. I believe that believing in yourself is the key to becoming unstoppable. If you feel within yourself that you are unstoppable, then you will be unstoppable. It’s about thinking. Don’t focus on it, go and do it,” says Nihal.