Geet: Indian TikTok star faces uncertain future after app ban
some
extracts bakchodi from that BBC article: (chutiyapaa ki koi limit hone chaiye)
After all, the former lawyer is now one of India's many TikTok stars, teaching "
American English", and giving
relationship advice and
pep talks to more than 10 million followers on her three channels.
"I was completely taken off guard when the news arrived. I mean, this is my life now. It's my full-time job," she told me.
Her followers are distraught. "How can I learn English any more?" one asked. "Who will motivate me now?" another wrote.
The largely 15-second videos - the app allows videos up to one minute -
offer a snapshot into the life and times of young Indians, bristling with ambition and frustration.
"It's endlessly fascinating. A lot of underrepresented people have found a platform here. People with alternative sexualities are expressing themselves freely. Women are asserting themselves. There's a lot of very creative people on the platform," says Amit Varma, a writer and podcaster, who teaches a course on TikTok.
A viral video on this
channel shows Geet telling her followers
what assorted footwear in her home are called in English: flip flops, loafers, slippers, flats, high heels.
In another, she corrects
her mother's pronunciation of words like breakfast, dessert, food, vegetables and pears, using her thick American accent. Another video is about "seven ways to say happy birthday". (bc she is not so happy now, ain't she? she needs to use one of that 7 methods)
An Uber driver in Delhi recognised her once and asked to record a video on his mobile phone giving some advice to his son "who was not studying hard". (wah BC, koi angrezi madam bolegi tabhi woh chutiya padai karega ka?)
The lockdown to prevent the spread of the coronavirus has been a stressful time for her and her followers. Before the lockdown began in late March, she joined her brother along with her parents in Seattle from where she continues to make videos. To keep her followers engaged, she often streams live and makes videos with games and puzzles
. "It's a difficult time," she says.
It got a little more difficult on Monday evening. Geet went live on her channels to placate her anxious followers.
"Don't worry. Don't lose courage. Let's wait. We think the issue will be resolved and we will meet again. Don't lose hope and don't do anything drastic."
Geet, who has three channels, is among millions of Indians anguished over a ban on Chinese-made apps.
www.bbc.com
mein toh bolraha hu ki china ko jane doh, phir kabhi dekhlenge. lekin sabh se pehle inlogon ke sath yudh karte hai.
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