Google CEO Sundar Pichai turns to YouTube to prepare paneer makhani

"To learn to prepare dishes like paneer makhani or pizza with kids, I turned to YouTube for help over the last few weeks," Google CEO Sundar Pichai said on Monday, as he delved into the role of technology not just in his own life but also in the lives of those around him.

While noting that grocery delivery services have been invaluable, the India-born CEO in a lighter vein remarked that his grandmother might be missing haggling over the price of vegetables in person.

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Pichai's address at 'Google for India' virtual event was replete with personal anecdotes on the role of technology.

"From the excitement of young people using the latest apps and services, to the ways people are using smartphones to improve lives in rural villages, to the more than 2,500 Indian YouTube creators who each have over a million subscribers... I've actually turned to some of these creators for help over the last few weeks for example, to learn how to make dishes like paneer makhani or pizza with my kids," he said.

YouTube is part of Google group. The global pandemic has "supercharged" the adoption of digital tools, he said, adding that a case in point is digital payments, that has enabled families across India to access goods and services during lockdowns.

"For them, grocery delivery services have been invaluable though I'm sure my grandmother misses haggling over the price of her vegetables in person," Pichai said.

Pichai, who is also the CEO of Alphabet Inc, reminisced that technology provided a window to the world outside his own, even as he was growing up.

"It also brought us closer together as a family. Every evening we were drawn to the television by Doordarshan's special rendition of 'Sare Jahan Se Accha'. I tried to explain this to my colleagues the other day, but I eventually gave up and just showed it to them on YouTube," he said.