05 June,2022 08:42 AM IST | Mumbai | Heena Khandelwal
In Instagram, Ravi Bala Sharma has found a platform to do what she always wanted—dance. Pic/Nimesh Dave; (right) Poonam Sapra’s account (Instagram/motherwithsign) has 1,44,000 followers
Dinesh Mohan made his modelling debut on Instagram at age 59. He had begun modelling two years earlier. But, he says, it was during the pandemic that he struck gold. "I began to get noticed," says the Gurugram resident, who at six feet, pulls off a suit, denim, fanny pack and floral scarf with equal ease. He puts it down to his honesty and "bindaas attitude". Clear from the word go that he would be himself rather than pander to popularity rules, he uses Instagram as a medium of expression. "I am very unpredictable, and you will see me do things that others my age won't. I consciously avoid playing the role of a grandfather," declares Mohan, whose last casting was a negative role in the Rajinikanth-starrer Darbar. Being tech savvy has helped the man garner three lakh followers, all of them young. "In fact, 80 per cent of my followers are under 27!" This is his prime time professionally, and he claims to be making eight times more money than he did when his hair was dark and he was working full time in a government job.
Mohan is what the social media world calls a granfluencer, several of whom debuted during the COVID-led pandemic.
To Andheri-based Ravi Bala Sharma, social media has offered a platform to do what she always wanted - dance. "Bollywood songs have appealed to me and while I did participate in dance competitions all through school, my father, a musician, suggested that I focus on classical music," says Sharma, 63, who was employed as a music teacher in a Delhi public school. Post retirement, she moved to Mumbai to be with her son Aekansh Vats, an actor-writer. "During the pandemic, I shared a dance video of my younger sister on Facebook and it got a good response, which encouraged me to share a video of myself next. Soon, I was asked for a video by a club for senior citizens. That went viral and was even shared by Diljit Dosanjh [Punjabi singer-actor]. This prompted my son to create an Instagram account for me. Now, I choreograph and dance, and post it there. My son handles the shooting, editing, and costumes."
Sharma veers towards a fusion of Kathak and Bollywood, and entertains her 1,87,000 followers with videos that she believes have given her a new identity. "Many people, even the teachers I meet at inter-school competitions, reached out to me, praising my work. Earlier, they knew me only by face. Now they know who I am. There are a few trolls too, who send negative comments my way, but I try to ignore them."
While Sharma falls in the cute category, Seema Anand, a Londoner of Indian origin, has the oomph you'd associate with far younger women. Draped in trademark striking silks, paired with dramatic silver jewellery, her kohled-eyes are offset by the long grey hair. The 60-year-old is a mythologist, storyteller and author. On Instagram, she busts sex and sexuality myths for her 6,70,000 followers. What makes Anand popular is perhaps her subject. "Most people are looking for validation. When they share something, a fetish or a feeling, they wait for someone to acknowledge their narrative," says Anand, adding, "Every word that refers to a woman's body is a cuss word. A lot of the violence comes from vocabulary. I want people to look at sexuality in a different light and offer a language that people across generations can use. I want mothers and daughters to be able to talk about their sexuality."
And how does she make ageing look sexy? "I get that [question] a lot, especially from young women who say they want to look like me when they grow old. Recently, I became the muse for [fashion designer] Karan Torani's collection, and the portraits look gorgeous. I think I have become a part of the changing vocabulary around grey hair; Today, it's sexy!"
It's not always kisses and roses. Trolls chase her 24/7 and she has received death threats too. "Some would say, this is your time to do pooja-paath. But that's only two per cent of the people online; the rest see me as a role model."
Delhi-based Poonam Sapra, 66, has created the desi version of popular Instagram account, @dudewithsign. @motherwithsign sees her share interesting tidbits of wisdom minus preachiness with her 1,44,000 followers. "It started during the pandemic when Pranav [son and market strategist] suggested that I do this. We ideate together," says Sapra, adding that she's popular because people can relate to her. "The idea is to tell a story that people can take home."
Delhi-based PR professional Neha Gandhi's client Fast&Up, a nutrition brand, teamed up with granfluencer duo Mr and Mrs Verma. Gandhi says that senior citizens are now an important category for brands, more so post-pandemic. "Today, everyone including seniors, are on Instagram. The older audience, like say, my mother, will find an elderly influencer reliable. She is more likely to buy a skin product that a granfluencer endorses, too." For someone like Anand, who was doing fairly well professionally, Instagram expanded her reach. "I've met people and made friends that I never would have otherwise, and it has also helped my book sales and brought several endorsements my way," says Anand.
Social media has made Sheela Bajaj, 78, financially independent. She learnt the art of crochet as a young woman and didn't have any plans to explore a business until her granddaughter Yukti helped her set up an Instagram account @caughtcrafthanded. You can now buy crocheted toys, earrings, bags, cushion covers and shrugs (R100 upwards) Sapra makes by interlocking loops of yarn, off her Instagram account. "I didn't know how to make all these items, but when my granddaughter showed me a photo of them, I figured out how to. It makes me happy when people receive the products they ordered and send us photos and videos," says Bajaj, who is saving some of her income to help make her granddaughter's wedding a little more lavish.
As Anand says, "Ageing doesn't change who you are, nor should you stop being who you were."
