Kolkata : The COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown of nearly three months has been exceptionally hard for parents with young children. Many parents are finding it extremely stressful to take full care of their kids, keep them occupied, and yet find some time for themselves amidst piling household chores. However, with social media providing a welcome escape and distraction from the daily stresses, some apps have been helpful to give these parents a much needed “me-time”.
For Kolkata resident and 30 years old Satabdi Bhattacharrya, a homemaker and a mother to a six year old boy, browsing for videos on Kwai, a popular short videos-sharing app, started off as a harmless pastime during the lockdown. It has now turned out to be her lifeline and a welcome relief from daily anxieties of parenthood and household chores.
Inspired by watching videos on the app, Satabdi created her Kwai profile as ‘SATABDI NISHA’ in April to give a vent to her creative urges during her limited free time. She started posting videos of her enacting scenes from Hindi and Bengali movies regularly. In just over a month, she has gained more than 11,700 followers.
“I have been able to survive the lockdown specially because of Kwai. It’s amazing that in just a month I have been able to entertain tens of thousands of people and this has motivated me to continue creating new and more engrossing videos,” says Satabdi.
Encouraged by her followers as well as family members, she recently joined KwaiLive program, under which she hosts one hour live chat shows on the app and entertains her audiences. Through her live stream shows, she has also earned Rs. 8,000 as gifts from her followers.
Her followers frequently request her to sing melodious songs or to share her experience of gaining popularity on the Kwai app. Others ask her how does she manage time while taking care of her son and other household chores.
“I am glad that through Kwai Live I am able to showcase my talent and engage with thousands of my followers from the comfort of my home,” she adds.
Every day, after completing her daily chores, Satabdi works on finding interesting content for her videos. With support from her family, she researches songs and dialogues that her followers would like and then works diligentlyon her video concepts.
“I thoroughly enjoy the process of making videos, choosing the right song and dialogue, costumes, location etc. It makes me feel like a movie star,” she says.
Kwai is currently running a special Live program that increased the share of gifts to 80% for live stream hosts. Many creators have earned several thousands of Rupees by hosting just a single live show on the app. Unlike “influencers” who earn through brand endorsements, these Kwai stars earn directly from their followers who spend real money to buy virtual gifts for their favourite Kwai creators.
“This lockdown has been tough on everyone, through Kwai we wanted creators to encourage and support one another and also benefit monetarily through it. We are happy that Satabdi has found recognition beyond expectations on our platform and we hope her experience inspires other mothers to come forward and showcase their talents,” says a representative from Kwai.
Satabdi wants to invest her earnings on accessories for her phone to make better videos and also get a speedy WiFi connection at home.
“Being a homemaker, earning money through a social media app was not something I had ever dreamt of. I’m overwhelmed with the amount of affection and appreciation that people on Kwai have showered on me,” she says. “My family is pleased that I get to display my talent, interact with so many people and yet maintain physical distance,” she adds.
Available for free on Android and iOS, Kwai is a popular video-sharing app that lets people share and watch fun videos directly from their smartphones. A lot of Kwai’s content is based on memes, music and challenges which allow users to engage with other people.
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