New Stars Of The Indian Internet That You Might Not Know Of.
Something interesting is brewing on the web. Keep an eye out.
Far away from the cushy, private education bubble that the writer and the readers of this post inhabit, exists a large population that still relies on the government to pull them out of poverty by providing them cheap, employable education and getting them jobs in the large state machinery that runs this country. And this class of students, since the beginning of India’s post independence history, have been subjected to the incompetence of the Indian state. Changes such as a hike of several rupees in hotel fees, mess charges and college fees can define whether they continue to pursue their education further or not.
If it was the 1970’s, these students who have had lived through not one or two, but twenty two paper leaks in the last five years in Gujarat, would have looked at leaders like Jayprakash Narayan with hopes that he would take up their cause. Not just the students in Gujarat, but across the country the youth whose only way out of inherited poverty is education are in search for their JP.
But in a time like ours, when the country is aimlessly looking for, and failing to find an electoral and social opposition of any mettle, a new crop of leaders seem to be emerging that the young are looking up to. To compare them with the likes of JP is obviously a far stretch, but the void of a guiding figure that talks to students about not just the issues in the classroom, but also everyday issues like love, sex, politics and friendship is being filled up by an unlikely force.
What vocations would you usually think of when you imagined someone having 50 million subscribers. I’d usually think of actors, cricketers, models, politicians or maybe musicians. A few months ago, it would have been hard to imagine teachers commanding such a strong reach and influence. But it seems that the times, they’re a changing. A simple youtube search of the five most famous names in teaching on the internet will give you a rough sum total of 50 million subscribers between five people. These are teachers spread across the spectrum in terms of what they teach, who they teach, how they teach. The only unifying factor amongst them is where majority of their students are. The internet.
If I was reading this post, by now I would have thought, “Okay, good to know. But why does this concern me ?”. The answer to this is quite simple. While a majority of this 50 million subscribers is obviously students, there is also an interesting section of young adults, professionals and elderly who regularly attend these lectures for their curiosity and personal development. On being asked about what he likes to watch the most on the internet, Pankaj Tripathi mentioned being a “fan” of Vikas Divyakirti’s General Studies lessons that he uploads on youtube. This one incident is what fascinated me to write about this topic. The fact that a teacher has a fan in a popular actor. Take a pause and read that sentence again and you’ll realise how strange it is; and that the teacher has an audience that is not a “student” in the most conventional sense of the word.
Some of us have often discussed how we wished we had teachers who could open our minds to subjects that our schools and colleges either completely ignored, or talked about in the most drab manner possible. These teachers on the internet have come up as a boon, if you are looking to gain more knowledge about philosophy, literature, religion, physics, chemistry or just India in general.
Just like Pankaj Tripathi, I am never going to sit for the UPSC examinations. But having always been interested in religious conflict in India, I often wondered what secularism really is and what it means to be a secular Indian, especially in a BJP ruled India. All across last week, I spent five hours understanding secularism in its entirety by watching this video. And all I will suggest is that you try watching one lecture of your choice either by Dr Divyakirti, Awadh Ojha or Khan sir to experience what I am talking about. Their authenticity, depth of knowledge and way of teaching is what has turned them in to semi-cult figures in a large part of India. Join this cult.
Recommendations Of The Week :
If what made you curious about these teachers, Sarthak Goswami, an interesting and upcoming Youtuber made a video on the exact same topic, but in a more interesting way. Check out the video to know a brief biography of who these star teachers are, and what makes them so famous.
A typical ‘Slow Interview’ style conversation with Paresh Rawal where he talks about his journey as an actor, politician, father and a citizen. For all his boomer political views, the man speaks surprisingly openly about his tryst with anxiety. A nice mellow Sunday evening watch if you’re interested.
Just like these teachers who are doing something for the first time on the Indian internet, another interesting man is gaadoing a different kind of a jhanda in Europe. India has finally exported its first homegrown male porn star. Checkout this podcast where India’s first male adult performer Niks Indian talks about his journey from Benaras → Engineering college → MBA → Being a porn star.
A saint-rockstar is in the making. Irrespective of whether you are a fan of punjabi music or not. Irrespective of whether you have been overwhelmed by videos and reels of Diljeet’s massive Born To Love tour or not. You need to get a peek into the mind of this interesting man. I repeat. A saint-rockstar is in the making. Watch this interview to know why I am saying this.