A Special Message to Parents

Weddings bring up those treasured memories of your son or daughter’s childhood in the most heart-warming way. But with the pain of loss comes the hope for a bright future.

A wedding also brings together a family like never before. The hidden wedding planners within our family arise to complete brilliance when the occasion comes around! Also, relatives from far-off places fly in to join in the joyous celebrations.

The dreams of a new life awake in your child from the time of the wedding, making it a most cherished memory.

A child is born with certain innate gifts. They come like unlocked bundles of treasure, giving you moments of great joy, but also sadness. Tamarind Weddings was glad to converse with one such brilliant boy and his family, who by supporting his dreams propelled him to great heights.

The Kicha Sensation

Mr. Rajagopal and Mrs. Ruby from Kochi in Kerala faced a surprising new twist of fate when their 4-year old son, Nihal (also known as Kicha) began to show a fondness for mixing up flavors in the kitchen. How often can you find young boys following their mommies into the kitchen and then, watch them cook and bake keenly?

Challenging the existing norm that the kitchen is no place for a man, Kicha’s parents keenly encouraged him to experiment with cooking. It was endearing to watch the 4-year old stutter and stumble with child-safe kitchen wear, creams, rice and fondant, whipping up easy recipes with surprising speed!

His father began taping his gimmicks and posting them online, which in turn became an instant hit with thousands of subscribers tuning into his channel – “The KichaTube.”

The KichaTube is now a global phenomenon with the adorable 6-year old hosting TV sessions with Ellen DeGeneres on The Ellen Show in California. Fame has brought him to another TV show in the UK to be aired later this year.

The Technology Taboo

From his earliest years, Kicha has grown up using technology to his advantage. While most parents would guard against giving technology freely to children at his age, Kicha’s parents merely oversaw his Google voice searches and YouTube exploits.

Mr. Rajagopal recalls, “A child’s sense of curiosity is in-built and it’s very very wide! My son browsed through a multitude of subjects every day, and often questioned me on things found online. His exposure made him understand many accents and over 4 languages by the age of 5!”

Kicha was surrounded by the world of unboxing, Mine Craft and other computer games, with his interest peaking in space technology and the Himalayas. His parents gave him the space to find out what he liked to do, learn and be. This is as opposed to the traditional way of imposing parents’ expectation on their children’s hobbies and interests.

Being open to possibilities

Explore your child’s natural curiosity. Set no boundaries on his imagination. And be open to possibilities. Kicha’s parents urged to pursue a non-traditional skill for little boys.

A boy who cooks? In traditional states of the country, it is almost unimaginable! But this mighty trait is in so much demand and is very respected around the world. With the times has come a change in gender roles.

Tell your boy or girl that they can be anything in the whole world. Only that they should be fearless against other’s judgements and disappointment.

Make it a family affair

Kicha’s support system lies in his family. The family centers around food and the kitchen, with his mother being a professional baker. She lends out recipes and gives the initial food preparation instructions. But Kicha, the restless smart boy, needs no repeating of any recipe or quantities! He personalizes the recipes with his own suggestions, thoughts … and even his own background music – the Barney song!

Kicha’s sister, Nidha acts as his manager, scanning his social media presence and handling enquiries for food reviews and advertisements. His father sometimes assigns her his duty of recording Kicha’s preparations. Mr. Rajagopal himself has become a pillar of marketing support for the boy, overlooking (but not controlling!) his very bright future!

The entire family is involved in Kicha’s hobby, making his YouTube series a family affair.

A child needs his or her family to accept and encourage their tastes and hobbies. Have you knowingly or unknowingly shrugged away an opportunity to support your child’s interests?

On their wedding day

On this occasion, reflect how you much you have appreciated your child’s natural gifts. If you think you still haven’t, it’s not too late. Hold his or her hands and walk with them to the brighter future in front of them, while assuring them that they have everything needed to face life within them.

This confidence you have in your children will reflect in all times to come and will help them grow into the person they are truly meant to become.

Follow Kicha on KichaTube at this link: click here