<p>Autorickshaw drivers in Bengaluru are increasingly turning to social media for content creation and activism.</p>.<p><em>Metrolife</em> spoke to a few autorickshaw drivers who are witnessing a steady rise in their follower count on platforms like Instagram and Facebook.</p>.<p><strong>Funny dialogues</strong></p>.<p>Parashuram, 31, started making content on TikTok in 2019. After TikTok was banned in India in 2020, he switched to Instagram, where he now has 70,000 followers. His account is @parshuram_shatty. “My social media journey mainly started out of boredom. I’ve always loved Kannada movies. The first lockdown presented the opportunity for me to get in front of the (phone) camera and make funny videos,” he says.</p>.Bengaluru auto driver comes up with quick hacks to learn Kannada on the go.<p>The majority of his content consists of funny skits and Sandalwood-style dialogue delivery. He often collaborates with fellow drivers. “I come up with original dialogues based on my life experiences and those of people around me,” he shares. He plans to start making vlogs later this year.</p>.<p>Product promotion and affiliate marketing are among the main sources of income for social media content creators. Even Parashuram depends on them. “I get invited to store openings, and brands in the automobile space contact me to promote their products. I’ve made it a point not to promote betting apps,” he says.</p>.<p><strong>On the road</strong></p>.<p>Azzu Sultan, who shot to fame for teaching Kannada to his passengers, also stays clear of promoting betting. “I charge around Rs 30,000 per brand deal. Most commonly, ride-aggregator companies reach out to me,” he says. His account @autokannadiga0779 has 1.7 lakh followers on Instagram. He also has a following of 65,000 on Facebook.</p>.<p>Sultan started vlogging on Facebook. He moved to Instagram in January 2024, and recently to YouTube. He plans to hire a video editor soon to improve the quality of his vlogs.</p>.<p>Driving and content creation keep him busy for 12 hours a day. “My aim is to show the behind-the-scenes life of an auto driver. I leave home at 8 am for work. I shoot and edit videos on my phone between rides,” he says.</p>.<p>Shivakumar aka Sarathi Shivu also chronicles his life as an autorickshaw driver, such as how many passengers he gets in a day. He has been uploading vlogs on his Instagram page @sarathi_shivu_ since July 2024. Despite quickly gaining popularity, with some of his vlogs reaching between 70,000 and 4.6 lakh views, he had to stop content creation temporarily. “I had to sell my auto for personal reasons. I started making Instagram videos just for fun. Nowadays everyone dreams of becoming an influencer, but I didn’t get any monetary gains from it,” he shares.</p>.<p>These auto drivers have become friends and collaborate to make content.</p>.<p><strong>‘We get trolled’</strong></p>.<p>However, being popular on social media comes with its downsides. Sultan says, “In addition to trolling from the public, we also face hate within the auto driver community. For instance, many drivers are unhappy that I share how much we make per ride in my videos. Some have called me ‘Auto Pakistani’.”</p>.<p><strong>Online activism</strong></p>.<p>Bengaluru Auto Sene, an auto drivers’ union with 2,000 members, has also gained traction on Instagram. Their page (@auto_sene_chethan) has 6,000 followers. They use it to raise awareness about the issues affecting auto drivers. “We highlight problems like inflation, the surge in bike taxis, and incidents of road rage. We also use the platform to support auto drivers in need,” shares Chethan M R, a founding member.</p>
<p>Autorickshaw drivers in Bengaluru are increasingly turning to social media for content creation and activism.</p>.<p><em>Metrolife</em> spoke to a few autorickshaw drivers who are witnessing a steady rise in their follower count on platforms like Instagram and Facebook.</p>.<p><strong>Funny dialogues</strong></p>.<p>Parashuram, 31, started making content on TikTok in 2019. After TikTok was banned in India in 2020, he switched to Instagram, where he now has 70,000 followers. His account is @parshuram_shatty. “My social media journey mainly started out of boredom. I’ve always loved Kannada movies. The first lockdown presented the opportunity for me to get in front of the (phone) camera and make funny videos,” he says.</p>.Bengaluru auto driver comes up with quick hacks to learn Kannada on the go.<p>The majority of his content consists of funny skits and Sandalwood-style dialogue delivery. He often collaborates with fellow drivers. “I come up with original dialogues based on my life experiences and those of people around me,” he shares. He plans to start making vlogs later this year.</p>.<p>Product promotion and affiliate marketing are among the main sources of income for social media content creators. Even Parashuram depends on them. “I get invited to store openings, and brands in the automobile space contact me to promote their products. I’ve made it a point not to promote betting apps,” he says.</p>.<p><strong>On the road</strong></p>.<p>Azzu Sultan, who shot to fame for teaching Kannada to his passengers, also stays clear of promoting betting. “I charge around Rs 30,000 per brand deal. Most commonly, ride-aggregator companies reach out to me,” he says. His account @autokannadiga0779 has 1.7 lakh followers on Instagram. He also has a following of 65,000 on Facebook.</p>.<p>Sultan started vlogging on Facebook. He moved to Instagram in January 2024, and recently to YouTube. He plans to hire a video editor soon to improve the quality of his vlogs.</p>.<p>Driving and content creation keep him busy for 12 hours a day. “My aim is to show the behind-the-scenes life of an auto driver. I leave home at 8 am for work. I shoot and edit videos on my phone between rides,” he says.</p>.<p>Shivakumar aka Sarathi Shivu also chronicles his life as an autorickshaw driver, such as how many passengers he gets in a day. He has been uploading vlogs on his Instagram page @sarathi_shivu_ since July 2024. Despite quickly gaining popularity, with some of his vlogs reaching between 70,000 and 4.6 lakh views, he had to stop content creation temporarily. “I had to sell my auto for personal reasons. I started making Instagram videos just for fun. Nowadays everyone dreams of becoming an influencer, but I didn’t get any monetary gains from it,” he shares.</p>.<p>These auto drivers have become friends and collaborate to make content.</p>.<p><strong>‘We get trolled’</strong></p>.<p>However, being popular on social media comes with its downsides. Sultan says, “In addition to trolling from the public, we also face hate within the auto driver community. For instance, many drivers are unhappy that I share how much we make per ride in my videos. Some have called me ‘Auto Pakistani’.”</p>.<p><strong>Online activism</strong></p>.<p>Bengaluru Auto Sene, an auto drivers’ union with 2,000 members, has also gained traction on Instagram. Their page (@auto_sene_chethan) has 6,000 followers. They use it to raise awareness about the issues affecting auto drivers. “We highlight problems like inflation, the surge in bike taxis, and incidents of road rage. We also use the platform to support auto drivers in need,” shares Chethan M R, a founding member.</p>