Going viral or simply spiral?

India’s growing vlogging community has transformed the traditional video landscape with quirky and offbeat content

Oil simmers in a cauldron. Somewhere, a bird chirps urgently. Trees sway gently, and on-screen, a man picks up a coconut shell and deftly swirls maida batter onto the hot cauldron. It bubbles immediately, the oil wrapping the batter in glee, turning it golden in minutes. Sudarshan Bhat has just shown us how to make jalebis the traditional North Karnataka way.

Sudarshan and his brother, Manohar Bhat, run the popular YouTube channel Bhat ‘n’Bhat in Kannada. Sudarshan’s unique delivery and endearing personality have gathered more than 789,000 subscribers. Together, they are just one part of India’s growing YouTubers’ community who are transforming the traditional vlogging landscape with their version of quirky, offbeat, and unique content.

India is one of YouTube’s largest markets. The country’s vast Internet reach and availability of cheap data have led to thousands of digital creators using the channel to express, share, voice opinions, have a laugh, or simply showcase life in their little corner of the world. In 2021, YouTube’s user base in India was estimated at 459.23 million users, according to Statista. But that is expected to touch a staggering 833.03 million by 2025. And even those numbers might be conservative.

Where content rules, in any form

Deepthi Nataraj, a social media manager and digital marketer at an international tech company, cites ‘original content’ as the key to creating a lasting impression on YouTube. “My mother-in-law, Prabhavathi, who did not even know how to use a smartphone a few years ago, now follows so many YouTubers who vlog in Kannada. (And let me tell you, they do nothing fancy, zero aesthetics — but they share their entire lives online, literally!) I guess being a homemaker all her life, she feels a sense of kinship with these women,” she says. Harsh Pamnani, brand expert and the author of Booming Digital Stars, concurs, noting that ‘exciting content’ keeps people coming back to YouTube. “Content is the only thing that works on YouTube. It makes people take time out from their lives. It keeps getting them back on the channel of a creator.”

But what makes people take to creating videos? For Harsh, people become creators because the video format is an interesting and engaging way to share ideas. YouTube is already the world’s second-largest search engine, and its reach is huge. Money is another factor.

“Google AdSense pays YouTubers once they achieve a certain threshold in terms of videos and views. YouTube has invested in creator development programs and created properties like Fanfest that have given a lot of exposure to creators,” he notes.

“As a platform, YouTube has made it extremely simple for users to promote themselves — and with programs like YouTube Partner Program (YPP), monetising one’s channels has become simpler,” Deepthi adds. And that ease of creation is pushing many people who otherwise wouldn’t dream of creating content to open and manage channels on YouTube.

Take the case of Isak Munda, a former daily wage labourer from Orissa, who was recently featured on the BBC and runs the Isak Munda Eating channel.

With 892,000 subscribers, the channel runs true to its name: it shows Isak and his family, well, eating. Not all the time, though. Isak regales his viewers with traditional Odiya dishes but also intersperses that with videos of his life in the village. Isak’s endearing authenticity has helped him become one of YouTube India’s newest superstars.

And authenticity is also what Kalai Vetri craves with her Tamil storytelling channel, Kalai Sollum Kathai.

The pandemic effect

Kalai started the channel during the first lockdown in 2020 to entertain children cooped up at home and taking online classes. “During the lockdown, I thought about what my passion was, and I realised that storytelling is one of my passions. At that time, my kids were going to a class where the teacher asked me to tell a story. We planned a 10-minute session during that class, but the kids extended it to 45 minutes! That’s when my husband suggested that we could start a storytelling YouTube channel for children.” Kalai keeps it simple, using a smartphone and a basic tripod to shoot while her husband helps her with the editing.

She searches for interesting “stories that have never been told” to narrate on her channel, stories that combine fantasy, mythology, history, and other genres.

Interestingly, in a perfect example of the video’s astounding reach, her father-in-law’s brother, Eswaramoorthy, who stays in a small village called Nathagoundenpalayam near Coimbatore, also recites stories for the children on the channel.

Initially hesitant to appear on camera, Kalai says Eswaramoorthy is now a superstar in his town, with even the bank manager there rushing to congratulate him on his YouTube storytelling skills! “He told me, ‘I didn’t know that people would recognise me!’” Kalai laughs.

From being a reluctant adopter, Eswaramoorthy is now keen to utilise this medium to keep the oral storytelling tradition alive. “The first story, he was a bit nervous, but in the second and third ones, he nailed it! He knew how to narrate,” Kalai says.

Monetisation isn’t everything

But while passion is relevant, what about money? Some of India’s top YouTubers are reputed to earn millions, and YouTube encourages its creators to share in ad revenue through the YouTube Partner Program. The Program requirements are basic, with YouTube requiring only a minimum of 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 ‘valid public watch hours’ in the last 12 months, along with adherence to community guidelines. A trained rater reviews all channels that apply to the program to check if they meet YouTube’s standards.

Sai Sandesh, a Community and Events Manager, says he was recently accepted into the program for his channel, Sai Sandesh Makam.

The channel focuses on reviews of locally made products. “I got into YPP last year, and since then, my videos have been making money, but not money that can earn the daily bread,” Sai says. He agrees that many creators can make a healthy living off YouTube alone but admits that is not a route he wants to take.

“What motivates me is that people like me just want to create. It is like writing in a diary but making it visual. Passion doesn’t have to make you money. It just needs to keep burning, and as long as it is, people will keep creating without expecting anything in return.”

Harsh Pamnani agrees, stating that while monetisation is important, creators should be careful while accepting brand deals.

“Creators are relevant to brands because they are relevant to viewers, so they should not compromise their audience relationship for brand deals.”

Kalai hasn’t monetised her channel either and admits there has been a tapering of content on her channel of late — a problem many enthusiastic YouTube creators often run into.

Sudha Subramanian, a freelance writer in Dubai, also started a YouTube channel to fulfil her dad’s dream of being a singer. “As a young man, Appa wanted to sing in films. Unfortunately, his family situation demanded his attention. So, he took up typing and shorthand and started his career as a stenographer. I wanted to give his voice a bigger audience and started this channel. It was received well. Many views and many comments made Appa grin from ear to ear. Appa mainly focused on classical songs, especially from Thirupugazh — songs in praise of the Lord Muruga.” But 10 videos later, Sudha shut down the channel after her dad developed health issues.

The pressure to keep up

The pressure to generate more and more eyeballs can drain that fun and passion and make it another time-consuming activity. This is perhaps also one of the reasons why YouTube launched Shorts, its take on Instagram Reels and Tik-Tok; these are vertical videos with a maximum runtime of 60 seconds. Shorts were first introduced in India in 2020 and became an instant hit.

Sai has been experimenting with Shorts too on his channel but insists that he creates Shorts only when he hasn’t had the time for longer videos.

“Short-form videos create an immediate viral effect, and people’s diminishing attention span has made them seek short-form videos over long-form. But long-form content is where your true skills come out, and the real creation is done there,” he feels.

Sai shoots his videos with a Canon M10 or an iPhone and has invested in LED lights, a tripod, and a mic. But not all of that may be necessary. Great content can be created with a phone too, he says, concurring with what Kalai also feels.

Age no bar

This ease of creating content has led to a wide variety of channels for a diverse range of age groups. Age is not a deterrent, as in the case of the adorable Karre Mastanamma, arguably India’s oldest YouTuber, who regaled her followers with her unusual dishes until her death in 2018.

And then there are the kids who are also YouTube influencers, with the leading star being Anantya Ananda, all of 12, whose channel, MyMissAnand, which she describes as the “perfect space for millennials and Gen Zs to learn in a jovial environment”, has a whopping 13.1 million subscribers.

Old or young, one thing is clear: with YouTube, the definition of what constitutes ‘good’ content varies. The quality might be questionable but the content has certainly been democratised. From crass comedy to practical jokers to numerous chefs, there’s space for everyone. And space also for that local lad from a tiny village who wants to show you how well he eats or dances or catches fish…

Are you watching? Or are you creating? Either way, it is perhaps time to jump in. There’s always space for more.