The fortunes of India’s world-famous Hindi movie industry Bollywood (once the main source of entertainment for most Indians, atleast outside South India) have been dwindling for quite sometime now. The explosion of Netflix and other OTT content is often blamed for this. But OTT subscriptions are still in tens of millions. The more ubiquitous source of alternate (now almost mainstream) entertainment for the Indian masses is social media on their handhelds. Whilst TikTok was banned in 2020, YouTube and Instagram have taken off, thanks to the proliferation of cheap smartphones helped by one of the world’s lowest telecom data tariff regimes. That technology is a leveller and disruptor beyond par is reinforced by this piece in the BBC about the explosion of YouTube content from a tiny village in one of the poorest states in the country and its implications for the local society and economy.
“Tulsi is like any other Indian village. The small outpost in the central state of Chhattisgarh is home to one-storey houses and partially paved roads. A water storage tank peers out above the buildings, overseeing the town. Banyan trees with concrete bases serve as gathering spots. But what sets Tulsi apart is its distinction as India’s “YouTube Village”.
Some 4,000 people live in Tulsi, and reports suggest more than 1,000 of them work on YouTube in some capacity. Walk around the village itself and it’s hard to find someone who hasn’t appeared in one of the many videos being filmed there.
The money that YouTube brings has transformed the local economy, locals say, and beyond financial benefits, the social media platform has become an instrument for equality and social change. The residents who’ve launched successful YouTube channels and found new streams of income include a number of women who previously had few opportunities for advancement in this rural setting. Under the banyan trees, conversations have turned to technology and the internet.”
So how did it all begin?
“Tulsi’s Youtube transformation started back in 2018, when Varma and his friend Gyanendra Shukla launched a YouTube channel called Being Chhattisgarhiya.”We were not content with our routine lives, and wanted to do something that would allow our creative juices to flow,” Varma says.
Their third video, about a young couple being harassed on Valentines Day by members of Bajrang Dal, a right wing Hindu nationalist group, was the first to go viral. The mix of comedy and social commentary struck a chord. “The video was humorous, but it also had a message, and we left it open for viewers to interpret,” Varma says.
The duo gained tens of thousands of followers in a matter of months, a number that’s since spread to over 125,000 subscribers and a cumulative viewership exceeding 260 million. Their families’ concerns about dedicating so much time to social media were silenced when the money started flowing in. “We were earning over 30,000 rupees [about £278 or $346] a month, and were able to support the team members who helped us,” Shukla says. He and Varma left their jobs to pursue YouTube full-time.”
The development received a boost from local government too:
“Impressed by the success of the village content creators, the state government established a state-of-the-art studio in the village in 2023. Sarveshwar Bhure, former collector – a senior civil servant – of the Raipur district which includes Tulsi, says he saw the village’s YouTube work as an opportunity to address the digital divide. “I wanted to bridge the gap between rural and urban life by providing this studio,” Bhure says. “Their videos are impactful, with strong themes, and have reached millions. Setting up a studio was a way to motivate them.”
The bet paid off. YouTube has created a livelihood for hundreds of young people in the village, Bhure says. It’s stoking a regional entertainment industry and launching some Tulsi YouTubers out of their small-town life.”
And like much else with technology, this is enabling social change, for the good:
“In Tulsi, YouTube has paved the way for women to take centre stage in this technological revolution.
According to Draupadi Vaishnu, the former Sarpanch, or village head of Tulsi, YouTube can play a crucial role in challenging biases and changing societal norms in India, where domestic abuse remains a prevalent issue. “It’s common for women to perpetuate [misogynistic practices], especially in how they treat their daughters-in-law. These videos help break those cycles,” Vaishnu says.
Recently the 61-year-old starred in a video addressing the subject. “I was glad to take on that role because it promoted the importance of treating women with respect and equality, a value I championed during my time as village head,” she says.”
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