MAGAZINE Voices Pushpesh Pant Ravi Shankar Sumeet Bhasin Neha Sinha Anuja Chandramouli mata amritanandamayi Buffet People Wellness Books Food Art & Culture Entertainment NEW DELHI april 21 2024 SUNDAY PAGES 12 Gurus of Gram Rural and semi-rural influencers are captivating massive audiences, making money and reshaping the digital landscape. The Made-in-Bharat content revolution is growing, and here to stay D By Anjana Vaswani and Kasmin Fernandes hiraj Takri, all of 22, struggled to speak fluently in English not so long ago. “I would speak very slowly says this resident of the quaint village of ,” Chitrakote in Odisha. Then Takri took to YouTube to learn how to speak like Westerners, “as the American accent requires you to speak fast”. The foreign accent sped up his speech as well as his journey to Insta fame. Takri had just 160 followers till December 2023, and then his 66th video, where he tells people how to pronounce the word ‘handsome’ like a Westerner by making the ‘d’ silent, went viral. Then, his most-viewed reel, created earlier in September, garnered an astonishing 27M views and earned him 4,00,000 followers. Takri is now a linguistic mentor to over 1.1 million followers. He typifies a new breed of influencers emerging from India’s heartland, bringing with them stories hitherto ignored by the mainstream. Armed with smartphones and an intimate understanding of their topic—whether it’s culture or a subject like farming—these regional creators have begun to dominate Instagram, engaging audiences with content that ranges from comedy and social commentary to agriculture and daily life. Through their lens, a different India has found its voice, and the rest of the nation is listening intently . Fun and Frames Influencers like Kapil Kanpuriya and Rajiv Kumar have found success by infusing their content with humour that resonates with their audiences. Hailing from Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh, Kanpuriya’s foray into social media was not planned— a recurrent theme with regional influencers. “One of my first videos to go viral was on how to be a successful corporate slave. I made it back in 2021, and it received 4-5 million views on my handle and was picked up by many meme pages,” Kanpuriya recalls. He (@kapilkanpuriya) then started sharing snippets of daily life and local humour on Instagram. What set him apart was his use of the Awadhi Baiswari dialect, a choice that instantly connected with a wide audience yearning for content that reflected their culture. His sketches, often about the quirks of small-town life and the humorous exchanges in local dialects, started gaining traction. With a growing fanbase of over 625k followers on Instagram, Kanpuriya is an example of the power of authentic storytelling and the ability of regional creators to captivate audiences with their unique perspectives. “I make content in Hindi with a Lucknowi accent or the dialect largely spoken in Kanpur. My content tells a larger story about culture,” he shares. Similarly comic Kumar (@ , rajivkumar_22), who found his calling as a content creator during the 2020 lockdown, has gained a following of 103k by spoofing small-towners and film Allahabad, but also tuning in are Indians living in Russia, the Middle East and the US. “Local languages are getting a fillip since non-English speakers are getting tired of English content directed at the affluent crowd. Homesick Indians abroad also tune in to content like ours for the local flavour,” Kumar explains. A 2017 landmark report by Google & KPMG casts a spotlight on this shift in the digital content landscape: the Began earning through his posts at age 17, even before he had a bank account to his name. Averages `2 lakh a month now @farmer_choice 220K Today Thombre’s content , tackles social issues, ranging from the right to vote and climate change to gender equality and casteism, all with a comic twist. “My content is clean and inclusive. My first rule is to never show any woman in poor light,” she emphasises. Her impact has been recognised by Doordarshan, which has interviewed her twice, and the Maharashtra Election Commission. Santosh Jadhav 30, Maharashtra Though known for farming related information, few know that Jadhav’s musicals are some of his biggest hits. Some of these have got 25-56 million views @indianfarmer 1.4M Cultivating Change Meanwhile, influencers like Ebbin Jose 46, Kerala He believes that monetisation of social media platforms must be supplemented. He’s setting up a restaurant and a travel agency @foodntraveltv 254K tech tonic He has collaborated with tech giants such as Motorola and Samsung, and has a sizeable audience overseas The InstaMoney Way critics in Hindi. One of his breakout reels, “Maen Ameer” (on a loudmouth pretending to be rich), was also picked up by meme pages and went viral, even inspiring established comedians to create their own versions. The audience of this 25-year-old from a village near Kanpur is largely split between Delhi, Lucknow and @techsatire 341K Ram Parmar 23, Madhya Pradesh Agri Coach Byte of the Times Seetharaman 28, Tamil Nadu Dairy Do-gooder rising dominance and credibility of regional languages over English in India. It reveals that creatives in Indian languages don’t just garner higher click-through rates, but also enjoy a profound trust level, with 70 per cent of Indians finding content in regional languages more reliable. Real Power One of the key factors behind the success of these heartland influencers is their authenticity . Parthip Thyagarajan, CEO of WeddingSutra.com, explains, “Social media users crave content that feels authentic and relatable, rather than simply aspirational. Influencers from small towns, with their modest backgrounds, are resonating with the average user in a way that is genuine and familiar.” Besides, while the glitz and glamour of Bollywood provides a window into the world of the wealthy and famous, regional influencers showcase the diversity of India’s cultural landscape that people across the country are curious about. “From the Jats of Haryana to the stylish denizens of Northeast villages, each creator brings something unique and fresh to the table, introducing followers to the richness and variety of their traditions and lifestyles. Whether it’s the elderly couple running Papa Mummy Kitchen in Rajasthan to the homemaker in Uttarakhand lovingly preparing food for her husband every day these influencers offer , a glimpse into the diverse cultures and lifestyles that exist beyond the metro cities. Their content resonates with audiences who are curious to explore the lesser-known aspects of India and connect with creators,” Thyagarajan says. Obstacle to Opportunity Language has, thus, been a source of inspiration for many influencers. Satshya Tharien, a 30-year-old influencer, who navigates life between Mangaluru and Singapore, has captured the hearts of her followers with her unique blend of comedy , beauty tips and language hacks. “When I moved to Delhi as a journalist in 2016, I found it difficult to remember some phrases. For instance, the difference between ‘pachhis’ (25) and ‘pachaas’ (50),” Tharien recalls, highlighting the genesis of her Instagram page, @ satshyaa, which has 341k followers. Her ‘Hacks to Learn Hindi’ series, using mnemonic devices to simplify phrases, resonates with both south and north Indians alike. She also has 641k followers on YouTube. Meanwhile, for Neha Thombre (@neha_thombre), her native Waradi dialect has been a superpower. She uses her Instagram page to create awareness about social issues through comedic sketches and performances. “Moving from a village to Pune to study engineering was a culture shock,” says Thombre, who comes from the village of Pulgaon in Vidarbha. Raised in a family of farmers, her relocation broadened her perspectives and strengthened her resilience. “I was trolled for my Marathi accent and inability to speak English a certain way .” Her journey as a creator began with a solo play on Savitribai Phule, which she wrote and performed at various venues. A viral open mic performance for Radio Mirchi caught the attention of Marathi influencer firm Bhadipa, leading to pan-India shows and eventually her own video , content during the lockdown. “I created the character Thombre Bai and made a comedy sketch on a girl’s right to her parents’ property in my native Waradi dialect. Overnight, my following went from 500 to 25,000,” she says. Her page currently has 125k followers. “People loved Thombre Bai so much that I made her a recurring character,” she says. Those with 500K-2 million followers typically earn `50,000-3 lakh per branded post or campaign Exact earnings vary based on the influencer’s niche, engagement rates, content quality and brand fit as well as the calibre of the brand and its ethos Regional language influencers may earn less compared to English-language creators with similar follower counts due to differences in brand target audiences Rajender Reddy are making a significant impact by empowering farmers and rural communities. Reddy a former journalist, , combines his skills with his interest in agriculture to create informative content for farmers. His YouTube channel and Instagram handle, @rythu_badi (loosely translating to “farmer school” in Telugu), showcases his travels to villages across Telangana, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra, where he interviews Turn to page 2 Hack of All Trades Satshya Tharien 30, Karnataka Her popular reels focus on differences in similar dishes (eg. the Malay prata in Singapore vs parantha in India). These videos generally average 1-2 million views Biases in perceived value may also impact earnings. Some brands may assume that regional influencers have a less affluent or educated audience, leading to lower collaboration rates, even if the influencer has high engagement and reach within their niche @satshyaa 341K As more brands lean towards regional markets, this gap may start to close. In some cases, influencers with higher followings but lower engagement may be paid less than those with smaller, highly engaged audiences