Entertainment
From Highways to High Views: Journey of Rajesh Rawani
The story of a Rajesh Rajwani who took a detour into fame, changing gears and cooking meals to become a celebrated YouTuber.
When you think of truck drivers in India, your mind might pop with images of rough highways, dirty chai stops and the classic “Horn OK Please” painted on trucks. You would probably not imagine a man from Jamtara, Jharkhand, sitting in the driver’s seat of an Eicher Pro 5016 truck, cooking chicken curry with a YouTube following of over 1.86 million subscribers. But that’s exactly what we will read today: the story of Rajesh Rawani, a truck driver with 25 years of experience who became one of India’s most-loved content creators.
Onroad and Online
Rajesh Rawani was born in Jamtara, Bihar (now Jharkhand), and was raised in Ramgarh. Rajesh is the fifth-grade-educated son of a truck driver and grew up watching his father navigate the rough Indian roads while providing for a family of five on a monthly income of INR 500. It was often not enough, leaving the family in debt. Despite these struggles, Rajesh followed in his father’s to take up truck driving to support his family and started as a mechanic.
Rajesh barely earned between INR 25,000 and INR 30,000 a month as a truck driver for over two decades. It was steady but hard work. For years, his life revolved around driving to make ends meet. Things began to change in 2021 when his passion for cooking and his son’s skills for social media were discussed and put to proper use.
The YouTube Sensation
Initially, Rajesh didn’t even know his videos were being uploaded online. He would record clips of his roadside cooking adventures and send them to his children for fun. It’s cute, but little did he know that his sons were quietly editing and uploading these videos to YouTube.
Eventually, days passed, and he started actively recording and sending the footage over. One day, Rajesh posted a video with a simple voiceover. His followers, back then a small group, asked to reveal his face. So, his son recorded a video showing Rajesh’s face, and to their surprise, the video hit 4.5 lakh views within a single day. And like that, Rajesh Rawani turned into an internet sensation.
Rajesh’s content is raw truck travel and food cooking vlogging, which he filmed in his truck cabin. Whether it’s cooking dal bati on a tempo stove or viewers’ favourite chicken curry, his videos are filled with love for food in the most relatable way there is. Many of his viewers are fellow truck drivers or people drawn to simple living, appreciating the authenticity and charm of his channel, R Rajesh Vlogs. We Indians love trucks, Trains and buses, they are as majestic as they look. Adding this along with Rajesh’s creative and simple lifestyle, the videos have too much to offer, and people are always curious to know anything new.
Rajesh & Co
Managing a full-time trucking job and a YouTube channel with millions of subscribers is difficult. Can Rajesh do it alone? His entire family helps him. His eldest son, Sagar, accompanies him on truck trips, helping with filming and editing. The middle son, Shubham, takes care of Instagram and the youngest, Saurabh, manages his Facebook account. Together, they’ve turned R Rajesh Vlogs into a brand that brings them a monthly income between INR 4-5 lakh and sometimes INR 10 lakh. Don’t be shocked by one particular month; Rajesh earned INR 18 lakh, a figure that stunned even him.
Highs, Lows, and Everything In Between
Life has been challenging for Rajesh. He once met with a severe accident in Nagpur, injuring his right hand. The injury left his hand slightly twisted, but it couldn’t stop him from driving or building his YouTube channel. His work is nothing but inspiring. He is known to survive on just 2-3 hours of sleep a day and juggle his responsibilities, and Rajesh is a hero in his own way.
His success hasn’t gone unnoticed. Anand Mahindra, the chairman of Mahindra Group, once tweeted about Rajesh, calling him his “Monday motivation.” It’s not every day that a truck driver or YouTuber is praised by one of India’s top industrialists!
More Than Just Chicken Curry
Rajesh’s YouTube channel isn’t just about food, it’s about dreams, determination and bits and pieces of desi humour. Credits to his simple yet catchy video titles, like Aaj Last Time Chicken Curry Banega. Through his channel, he’s bought a six-bedroom house worth INR 1 crore, a no-comparison home from the hut he grew up in. He always drives his first Eicher truck and now owns it after the settlement of instalments for years.
For those wondering what makes Rajesh stand out in the crowded world of influencers, the answer lies in his authenticity. He isn’t trying to be someone he’s not. He’s a truck driver who loves to cook, share stories, and connect with people. His viewers see a part of themselves in him, someone who works hard dreams big and takes life one mile (or meal) at a time.
Where is Rajesh’s Eicher heading next?
He plans to continue trucking and vlogging for as long as his health allows. He’s building a better life for his family, of course, brick by brick, video by video. Rajesh Rawani’s journey is far from over, and for the rest of us? Remember, the next time you are in traffic behind a truck, it could be another YouTuber planning on a success story.