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It all started during the lockdown when Isak Munda, a tribal youth from Babupali in Sambalpur district’s Jujumura block was watching few YouTube videos over his mobile and he came across a video, wherein the presenter suggested making videos and uploading them on YouTube to earn money.
Munda asserted, “One day I was watching videos on my mobile phone when a video popped up. In the video, the presenter suggested making videos and uploading them on YouTube to earn money. I repeatedly watched the video and decided to give it a try.”
He availed a loan of Rs 3000 to buy a smartphone to set his plan in action. The first video he recorded featured himself eating a full plate of boiled rice without enough curry.
The video went viral within few hours of uploading and garnered thousands of views and comments. Almost all the comments were appreciative and kept growing since the upload.
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The popularity of the video prompted him to upload videos one after another on his YouTube channel, named, ‘Isak Munda Eating.’
With the massive views that his videos garnered, Munda started making monetary gains from them which is said to be in lakhs.
Aged 35, Munda said that he had taken a loan of Rs 3000 to buy his first smartphone to make videos. Talking about his first video, he said, “My first video has been viewed by more than 4.99 lakh people. I make videos about life in my poor household and village, showing what and how we eat. I am happy my videos are received so well by many. I am making a decent income now.”
He speaks Hindi as well as Sambalpuri, the western dialect of Odia.
He normally posts videos about the serene village life and the food habits of the poverty-stricken people living there.
Since the March of 2020, Munda has uploaded nearly 256 videos and his YouTube channel currently has more than 7.29 lakh subscribers.
In his first video titled ‘Rice and Indian Sambar Fast Eating,’ Munda was seen wearing a vest and eating a full plate of hot, boiled rice with raw tomato, some fried green leaves, a raw chilli and just a bit of dal.
A poor tribal youth in Odisha eating simple food struck a chord among the Netizens. Other videos posted on his channel, featured his wife Sabita Munda, and their four daughters – Monisa, Monica and Mahima – and son Pabitra. The videos on his channel typically showcase his community’s traditions and food preparation methods.
Since Munda has only studied till 7th grade, he said, “So, I thought I could make videos on my own community, culture and lifestyle in my village. I also show how we collect wild mushrooms and eat bamboo shoots so that people in India and abroad get to know of the simple life we live.”
Munda’s wife Sabita is quite happy with her husband’s success. Sharing her thoughts about the same, she said, “He once uploaded a video of the decrepit mud house we live in. Many people viewed it, and it brought us financial support from an organisation in Bhubaneswar to build a brick-and-cement house.”
Since the success on YouTube, Munda is no longer seeking daily wages.
Munda has now built a house with the money and bailed out his family from the financial crisis. He has also decided to extend help to needy people as per his capacity.
Despite the success, Isak Munda’s aim is not just to make money but, “to create awareness among people about the local traditions and also the negative influences it is battling. I am happy to be no longer seeking daily-wage work as a labourer.”