THE TAGGING GAME

QHow many people should I tag on my social media posts without seeming too eager? Should I tag them in such a way that they are invisible to the naked eye?

I—Anukriti D, Delhi

have always believed that you should not appear desperate on social networking, so tag in such a way that they are undetectable to the naked eye. Your major goal is to increase social media interaction, which will happen as you develop your brand and its value; not just by tagging your friends. I believe that outstanding content is discovered organically.

Popularly known as Beerbiceps, Ranveer is a star Youtuber and digital marketing entrepreneur. His videos on fitness, grooming and wellness, and his recent podcasts, have won him millions of fans

SUNDAY IN A SENTENCE { FREDDY BIRDY } SOCIAL MEDIA STAR

people feel comfortable,” says Aryaman, “otherwise, they may have apprehensions and not open up easily.”

BOWLED OVER

This is one of Aryaman’s first major interviews, yet he’s relaxed, respectful, restrained when taking tough questions, and disarmingly honest as only a zillennial can be. (Aryaman was born in July 1997, at the cusp of two generations: millennial and Gen Z.)

“Growing up, it was never about only school and study. It was also learn to sing, to dance, play a sport. I learned singing, I took art classes for the longest time and obviously, there came cricket. I loved the game: watching it, playing in the building with friends, in the corridor of the house, which I still do by the way…”

Aryaman’s passion for the game led him to Madhya Pradesh, where he played professional cricket and learnt life’s most important lessons. “I played for seven years from the age of 13; and when I started playing professional cricket, I lived in a place called Rewa and interacted with people at the grassroots level. The experiences there shaped my thought processes and values, and form the crux of who I am today,” he says. “That phase of life taught me the importance of hard work and discipline, and how to take success and failure in my stride.”

In December 2019, Aryaman pulled himself out of professional cricket in a rather unusual way: via a social media post explaining how the competitiveness of the game was giving him severe anxiety and that he had decided to take an “undefined sabbatical” to tend to his mental health.

“Doing this was hard,” says Aryaman thoughtfully. “One, you’re internally thinking: ‘Is this the right thing to do?’ And two, while my family was supportive and laid out the pros and cons of what the consequences could be, many others advised me otherwise. They told me to say I’d had a really bad fracture, that it hasn’t healed, and not say anything else. But I was vehement. I wanted to put it out there because not too many people speak about these things, and if I could help one person, it’d be worth it. Also, for myself, putting it out there just felt liberating!”

He adds, “I was in a space where I was ready to move to the next phase in my life, and I look at it as if I had changed jobs. We see that all the time: you do your education in one field, and you do a job in another. It’s like you were a banker, and today, you are the owner of a start-up.”

When he posted that note on Instagram, he didn’t tell anyone he was going to do it. “We were on a boat somewhere off the coast of Dubai, and I said, let’s get that weight off my shoulders, and I just did it,” he says. “In hindsight, I’m glad I had the courage to put it out.”

“WHEN YOU’RE IN THE THIRD AND FOURTH GRADE, YOU GET ASKED SILLY QUESTIONS LIKE, ‘HOW MANY CARS DO YOU HAVE?’ THOSE THINGS WOULD EMBARRASS ME” —ARYAMAN BIRLA