Narayana Reddy aka Grandpa of popular cooking YouTube channel ‘Grandpa Kitchen’ from Telangana, has passed away. He had been suffering from age-related ailments for a few days and took his last breath on October 27. He passed away in his native village at the age of 73. Reddy had gained massive popularity on internet as he would cook large amounts of food and then distribute it in orphanages. His YouTube channel had over 6 million subscribers, many of them from across the world. The news of his death was shared through an emotional video uploaded on the Grandpa Kitchen channel on Wednesday where his body was laid to rest after an elaborate funeral procession. The family had waited for some time before informing his followers through the video.
The Grandpa uploaded videos of himself and his grandchildren cooking vast meals, which along with the proceeds of the channel went to feed local orphans and other underprivileged people living on the outskirts of Hyderabad, in southern Telangana state. He was known not only in India but abroad too. People of all age groups loved him for the easy recipes that he used to cook on a firewood stove. The grandpa was known for his special recipes that included traditional biryani, burgers, and pizzas. Interestingly, he used to make all these continental dishes without an oven. Netizens turned emotional as soon as his demise was announced on social media and started paying their condolences to the pure soul.
A subscriber commented on Grandpa’s final video, “Feels like we all are his grandchildren now. Rest easy Grandpa.”
Users also took to Twitter to pay their tributes to the Grandpa after being extremely upset over his death.
https://twitter.com/MeeransGTR/status/1189568966739447808?s=20
https://twitter.com/MohdShaj1/status/1189862108219035648?s=20
https://twitter.com/VijayFreak_/status/1190097780997419010?s=20
Grandpa’s first video was uploaded in August 2017, under the title “King Of 2000 EGGS.” That video, which has since been viewed more than 2.6 million times, showed Reddy working outside, dressed in white clothes matching his trademark white mustache where he is seen making a vast egg dish which he and his grandsons then divide up and deliver to local homeless people in a nearby town. Over the course of two years, the ‘Grandpa Kitchen’ uploaded more than 260 videos, many of which have millions of views. His most popular video, ironically for a channel that largely focused on Indian cooking, was for french fries. As the channel grew in popularity, he and other family members quit their jobs and began working on it full time. “We will continue his work,” Srikanth Reddy said, adding that his great uncle was “always friendly and smiling,” and delighted in the positive reaction his videos received around the world.
The internet can be a scary and often dangerous place and when people like Narayana Reddy spread positivity and bring together people across countries, it restores the faith in humanity that there are good Samaritans out there. Grandpa might have left the community but his legacy lives on. Rest in Peace Grandpa!