Meet Rakesh Yadav, a Physics teacher-turned-content creator who has now become one of the most-loved tech YouTubers in India. With more than 2.7 million subscribers on his YouTube channel, Gyan Therapy, his videos get lakhs of views even surpassing many tech channels having more subscribers than him.
Rakesh makes videos in Hindi about smartphones, laptops and other tech gadgets and helps his viewers make better purchase decisions with his in-depth reviews and tests.
Today, Gyan Therapy is one of the most sought-after YouTube channels by brands who want to reach their customers through an authentic reviewer. When Rakesh started creating videos in 2018, he was still teaching Physics; and what began as a side project has now become a full-fledged career for him.
His simplicity and honesty are the reasons why people love his videos so much. “A lot of people were making such [tech] videos in Hindi, but I wanted to make videos which someone even sitting in the village could relate to,” says Rakesh.
Beginning of the Journey
With very humble beginnings, Rakesh has lived most of his life in Haryana and did his schooling there. Then he pursued graduation in B.Tech from Kurukshetra University, Haryana.
Like every other graduate in India, he then tried to get a government job and to become a government officer Rakesh shifted to Prayagraj (Allahabad). He spent around four years in preparation for competitive exams, and when he realised it to be a distant dream, he took the job of a Physics teacher.
It was in 2014 when Rakesh was infected with thyroid, but unfortunately, it was not before 2018 that he got diagnosed with the disease. But, as the saying goes, when life closes a door for you, it opens a window.
Rakesh has mentioned in his videos that it was only when he was diagnosed with thyroid, that he started questioning the purpose of his life and the futility of trying for a government job. “It was only because I was diagnosed with thyroid that I ended up on YouTube today,” he says.
He mentions that he always had a fascination for smartphones and technical devices. So, an impromptu decision on 3 August 2018 to open a YouTube channel, came true on 6 August when he laid the foundation of his YouTube channel, Gyan Therapy. Soon, he started uploading videos about technology, smartphones and other electronic gadgets.
As he was still a student himself at that time, he did not possess much savings. So he commenced his journey of becoming a YouTuber with his humble set-up, very simple phone and laptop, sharing his insights on technology and reviews about new tech launches.
YouTube Success Story of Gyan Therapy
It was seven months after the commencement of his channel that Rakesh uploaded a review video of the Samsung Galaxy M21 smartphone mentioning a few drawbacks and that video went viral. Although he faced severe backlash for the video, it also made him garner attention, which increased his number of subscribers.
“Despite the criticism, those who are not admirers of Samsung ended up subscribing to my channel which helped me in the long run,” he said.
And after that viral video, his channel began getting good views and people also loved his way of presentation in a simple language. Gradually, he experimented with his videos and tried different things and within a year, Rakesh completed 100K Subscribers on his YouTube channel.
With the money that he was earning from YouTube, he started investing in buying newer gadgets and providing honest reviews to his audience. And then comes the year 2020 when everyone was confined in their homes.
Rakesh went back to his hometown, and often uploaded videos, despite the harsh weather conditions. Soon, after a few months, he shifted to a 2 BHK apartment, a little far away from his home and continued uploading videos like he always did.
On 21 April 2021, Rakesh hit the coveted one million subscribers mark. From beginning as a survivor of thyroid to the one million mark— he had several opportunities and options to quit, but he did not. He continued to persevere in his path and reached the one million mark solely on determination, hard work and patience.
In one of his videos, he mentioned how his YouTube channel might be among the few Indian channels, which reached the one million milestone without any exterior help. He says, “You can check for yourself, how my YouTube channel touched the one million milestone without any collaborations, brand promotion or giveaways.”
A story of perseverance, a story of hope and a story of courage – all of these are characteristic of his story. From his initial days as a physics teacher to his battle with thyroid to the first seven months of his YouTube journey when he did not receive many subscribers to the criticisms— Rakesh chose not to quit. He continued in his journey and today Gyan Therapy has millions of subscribers.
