Well known chef and restaurateur Harpal Singh Sokhi, who is known for his famous phrase ‘Namak Shamak’ has his own YouTube channel which has been running for 15 years. It’s a long time to sustain with good content amidst so much competition. As we have all noticed - during and after COVID-19, hundreds of cooking related YouTube channels emerged. So has Chef Harpal ever felt threatened by them? He says, “During and post-Covid, I must say (with a slight chuckle) that everyone has become a chef and everyone wants to teach chefs as well—that’s just how it goes. I firmly believe that those who have been on the big screen will always remain big. For example, Shah Rukh Khan need not worry about having a YouTube channel or not. On the other hand, someone like CarryMinati, who has a YouTube channel, might find it challenging to transition to blockbuster films on the big screen. We belong to the world of big screens and larger-than-life personas. We enjoy having followers and creating valuable content. Therefore, we don’t feel threatened by others, as we put our heart and soul into what we do. YouTube is not a revenue stream for us; it’s merely a marketing tool. We believe that business creates enterprise value, not YouTube. We don’t perceive any threats from anyone. Many young creators with fewer than
1000 followers reach out to collaborate with me, and I always oblige because I want to support their growth and development.”
Interestingly in a recent episode of You Tuber Ranveer Allahbadia mentioned to his guest Diljit Dosanjh, how Ranveer has learnt cooking while watching Chef Harpal Singh Sodhi’s videos. Chef says,“Yes, BeerBiceps mentioned on his podcast that he learned recipes from me and followed my work, and it’s very nice of him to honestly commend that. When you approach things with honesty, you receive love from people all over the country. He also mentioned that I was one of the first YouTubers in the country. When we create content, our objective is to help people understand how they can contribute to making India a healthier nation. We aim to provide accurate information and promote a healthy lifestyle through cooking, which we believe is easier to achieve at home. We believe that cooking more at home leads to healthier families, and that’s our objective.”
