‘Murphy’s Law has always been against me’

Balram Vishwakarma. Pic courtesy/ Gaurav Sarkar

At the height of the pandemic last May - when people didn't know exactly what they were supposed to do if they tested positive for the novel coronavirus - Instagram users adhering to lockdown norms by staying indoors suddenly noticed that their favorite hyperlocal meme page "AndheriWestShitPosting" was putting out firsthand information about protocol that must be followed in such cases. The elaborate Instagram posts on the page marked quite a drastic shift from its usual tonality, going from Andheri-based humor to do's and don'ts for people who may have contracted the virus, and what they could do to keep the infection from spreading to their family members.

It didn't take long to figure out that 26-year-old Balram Vishwakarma, a resident of Andheri and founder of the page, had tested positive and was undergoing treatment at the CC2 facility in Andheri's Laxmi Industrial Estate. "Murphy's law has always been against me…I thought I was going to die, which is why I wanted to be of help to others who might be feeling the same way because of the virus," he told mid-day. Balram was at the facility from May 6 to May 11 and was then shifted to Cooper Hospital from May 11 to May 14. However, he wasn't alone: it was as if all 60,000+ followers of AndheriWestShitPosting were taking part in his recovery journey with him, imbibing constant information that Balram was putting up while receiving treatment. "It was like I was the first student to enter a viva classroom and then when I come out everyone is asking me what were the questions that were asked. But in simple terms, you could say that I had a microphone attached to my ear and all I was doing was relaying information to those on the outside."

This firsthand information about guidelines, protocols, and safety measures that Balram kept sharing with his followers not only educated them about things they needed to do in times of emergency but also prompted him - and the tone of his page - to become more opinionated, liberal and vociferous. When asked whether putting out COVID related information was the first step that marked the change of tonality for the page, he said: "My page has always been outspoken and I've made so many enemies because of it…but it was only after COVID that I thought that I am not going to put any kind of filters in what I want to say. At the end of the day, AndheriWestShitPosting is my space and is a page that I have created - so I can definitely speak from my point-of-view on my space."

Both of Balram's sisters, as well as his mother, tested positive for the virus as well. Once he had recovered, Balram went back to the CC2 facility and volunteered to counsel patients going through anxiety and stress. "I just wanted to do my bit," he said. "I wanted to give back." And after almost an entire year since it underwent its initial transformation, AndheriWestShitPosting - although a hyperlocal meme page at heart - today discusses (in its own unique style) issues that are varied as politics, farm laws, gender bias, and hate crimes. "I have always been an informed voter - but I never wanted to be preachy. Earlier, I was of the opinion that this is a shitposting page and people should expect less from it. But then this has changed after COVID-19 because I have realised that if I don't speak my voice and opinions and do not share information with my followers and others, then somebody else will."