Episode 28: Flex & Shine in Ayodhya- Glimpses of Local Women Influencers & their Digital Dreams

In July this year Ritika Gupta of Ayodhya-Faizabad, as she calls her home of hyphenated identity, had a million followers on TikTok. She had finally figured out how to convert the money her Likee account was generating to rupees but you already know what came next — the “master stroke” banning 59 Chinese apps.  Still, as a dancer Ritika wasn’t reliant solely on the convenient lip-sync loops. A mentor helped her set up a Youtube account, and she became Ritika Gupta dance. By far the most compelling of her Youtube videos is a performance riffing on the popular Bhojpuri track, ‘Lollipop Lagelu’ (Looks like a Lollipop). Blurry shots of blue and red fairy lights at night usher in Ritika dancing