MUM’S THE WORD

Sejal’s mother Anjali, 55, is her trump card online

A bunch of Sejal’s videos also feature her mother, Anjali Kumar, a gynaecologist, whom she’s pushed to start a Youtube channel to spread awareness about women’s health. Anjali has given Sejal nonjudgemental sex education and they have discussed ‘taboo topics’ like contraception. “I was introduced to the concept of reproduction in class 4 with a diagram,” she says.

But like most moms, Anjali too faces difficulties with Instagram features. “But, she’s a natural in front of the camera. More than me!” Sejal smiles.

The bane

Negative comments like ‘tumhe toh bas skin dikhana aata hai (you only know to show your skin)/who does she think she is?’ are aplenty and do hurt but it’s the trolls who are insecure, she says. “When your personality is attacked, you tend to change it. And good comments validate you. But you have to detach yourself from this kind of validation too.” The constant need to make each video better and increase numbers can be a toxic, anxious cycle, she adds.

Rather than constantly looking for people’s approval, she started meditating, which helps her focus on what makes her happy. And these days, she talks about her insecurities and anxieties on social media.

Uncharted territory

“When I started, I was the weird kid in college who was mocked and many even asked me how they could access Youtube. Today, the industry is thriving,” Sejal says, recalling her journey. She even had to pretend she had a corporate job so that people would not make such a fuss about her choice of career.

But how did she convince her parents? “I’m a nerd who did a whole lot of research and prepared an excel sheet, complete with a fiveyear projection,” she says, narrating how the effort impressed her parents. She even skipped college placements.

With a plan to continue this for seveneight years, Sejal thinks it could even morph into another career! “Influencers are good at adapting to change because our jobs are on the Internet, which changes every day,” she signs off.

karishma.kuenzang@hindustantimes.com Follow @Kkuenzang on Twitter and Instagram