In a village where women were told to stay behind closed doors, Kaushalya Chaudhary picked up a smartphone and changed the story.
What began as a simple love for cooking in a small kitchen in Kuri, Rajasthan, has now turned into an inspiring movement “Sidhi Marwari”, a clean food brand that empowers over 35 rural women while sharing the authentic flavors of Rajasthan with the world
Born into a humble farming family, Kaushalya’s early life was filled with chores, studies, and responsibilities. “I used to cook for my mother when she returned tired from the fields. The joy on her face made me fall in love with cooking,” she recalls.
Like many girls in rural India, her dreams were paused by early marriage and social restrictions. But instead of giving up, she found purpose within her limitations.
“Even if I had to stay within four walls, I decided those walls would witness something powerful,” she says.
Her life changed the day she read about a five-year-old earning from YouTube. With a spark of curiosity, she asked her husband what YouTube was and the idea of sharing her cooking online took root.
With savings and a small loan from her mother, she bought a Samsung J2S for ₹7,500, her first tool of transformation.
Her first video? Besan Barfi.
Her first viral hit? Haldi ki Sabji.
Uploading videos meant climbing to the roof for signal. Recording meant balancing her phone on aluminium wires. But she never stopped.
“I learned editing through handwritten notes and practiced until midnight,” she smiles.
“My first YouTube payment of ₹7,500 took one and a half years to come. But it was the sweetest reward.”
At first, Kaushalya posted in Hindi but her audience didn’t connect. The turning point came when her grandmother-in-law asked, “Why do you call Dhaniya coriander?”
That’s when she started creating videos in Marwari, her mother tongue.
Within a month, her subscriber count exploded.
In ten days, her YouTube revenue crossed ₹1 lakh.
“Our language and culture have value. People around the world missed that touch of home I gave to them,” she says.
In 2023, Kaushalya received a call that changed her life, again an invitation to MasterChef India. From her small village kitchen, she went on to represent Rajasthan as the only contestant from the state in 2024.
With dishes like Kachi Haldi ki Sabji and Makhaniya Lassi, she proved that true mastery isn’t about training, it’s about heart, heritage, and honesty.
After her MasterChef journey, Kaushalya realised she needed to build something lasting beyond YouTube.
In 2024, she launched “Sidhi Marwari”, a homegrown brand producing pure spices and cold-pressed oils made the traditional way.
Her brand now ships worldwide and has 15 outlets across India. Every packet carries not just flavor, but also empowerment because each product is made by rural women she trained and employed herself.
“I didn’t want women in our village to leave home for work. I wanted them to work with pride, right here,” she says.
Today, the Sidhi Marwari unit employs over 35 rural women and supports their families. Kaushalya’s husband and father-in-law manage logistics, while she mentors other women to become financially independent.
“Even if you can spare one hour a day, start something of your own,” she tells them.
“Don’t wait for the right time to create it.”
Kaushalya’s story is more than a tale of success. It’s a movement, a living example of what happens when determination meets opportunity.
Her next goal? To launch a platform for rural women entrepreneurs, helping them start micro-businesses through the Sidhi Marwari model.
“When a woman decides she wants to do something,” Kaushalya says,
“No one, absolutely no one can stop her.”