M’sian 12-Year-Old Boys Create Website For Small Businesses To Promote Their Diwali Treats

By Ameera Rosli  •  in News
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When will this pandemic end?

It feels like we’ve been running in circles ever since COVID-19 struck. Our days of the week have begun to slowly dissolve into one another, creating a murky routine where nothing is distinguishable anymore. Hopes have begun to slowly fade and with each passing day and spike in cases, it’s not hard to understand why Malaysians are beginning to give-up.

However, when adults lose hope, we have our creative and enthusiastic youths to remind us that there is always light at the end of a dark tunnel.

Our light today comes in the form of 12 year-old school boys Jishnu Maruthamutu and Rakhael Tanabalan.

These best buddies and avid tech fiends have recently created a website specifically to promote small businesses, and it is downright impressive at such a young age. Setting up the site called cookeasy.my, these boys have definitely proven that the young generation have an abundance of talent and intelligence to offer.

When clicking on the site, you will see a short but incredibly endearing message that reads,

“We are Rakhael and Jishnu and we are 12 years old. We sell delicious homemade cookies, traditional Indian sweets, lovely looking tasty cakes, grandma specials and easy-to-cook meals. We call them YUMMIES“

Scrolling downwards, the site specialises in promoting various Diwali treats since the holiday is just around the corner. The two boys even include a YouTube video of themselves reviewing a jar of murukku and honestly, it’s just too wholesome!

With a plethora of different sweet and savoury munchies to choose from at an affordable delivery fee, cookeasy.my is exactly what we need to get us through these difficult times.

The idea sprouted when Jishnu’s aunt was retrenched and began selling murukku and cookies to get by. In an email interview with The Star, Jishnu mentioned how upset he was by this and how it drove him to start the website. He said,

“My aunt asked me for help to post photos of her snacks on social media as she wasn’t too familiar on how to do online marketing. I felt sorry for her and I realised there were many people like my aunt who were financially struggling due to the pandemic.

“My dad and Rakhael’s parents encouraged us to do something worthwhile with our time instead of playing computer games. We took on the challenge to help my aunt and other home cooks who needed a platform to sell their homemade products.”

Jishnu (right) and Rakhael offer homemade Indian snacks on their online food portal.

Extracting information from YouTube and Facebook tutorials as well as studying other e-commerce websites, the boys began building on their idea until it finally became a reality. With the help of supportive adult figures, the site was up and the boys achieved their primary goal: To help those in need.

Maruthamutu (left) is always within arm’s reach to lend a helping hand to Jishnu (centre) and Rakhael.

Jishnu’s father, Maruthamutu, stated that the boys even sacrificed their gaming time (Fortnite is their game of choice, in case you were wondering) in order to prepare the site and tweak any shortcomings. Like most children, Jishnu and Rakhael attend online classes, do homework and participate in sports during the day but unlike most other kids, they become young entrepreneurs at night.

For quality control, the boys taste each item listed on their website to ensure the customers are ordering the best of the best. They’ve gotten heaps of support from members on Facebook who have been engaging with their marketing.

(From left) Tanabalan, Rakhael, Jishnu and Maruthamutu make it a point to have a food-tasting session before they list the food items on their website.

Jishnu feels incredibly accomplished with his and his buddy’s website, as he should. He said,

“It feels cool that we have achieved something. Our fathers say this is a positive start and we should keep improving. We also feel like we’ve made a difference when we receive confirmation orders.

“To hear their (the home bakers’) joy makes us happy, so we always end up celebrating over food.”

Congratulations to both Jishnu and Rakhael for taking the time to initiate such a virtuous and wholesome project. We hope that we can all continue in their footsteps and keep on supporting each other through this pandemic.

As a parting message, here’s a quote featured on cookeasy.my:

#RakyatJagaRakyat: