When villagers of Babupali in Odisha바카라s Samabalpur district tuned in to PM Narendra Modi바카라s weekly Mann ki Baat on July 25, they were in for a pleasant surprise. They had never imagined one of their own would be lavished with praise by the prime minister. But then, Isaak Munda is no Âordinary villaÂger바카라not since March 2020, when the daily wage labourer shot and posted a video of himself eating 바카라pakhala바카라, the popular Odia dish of fermented watered rice, on YouTube. An Adivasi, Isaak had Âborrowed Rs 3,000 to buy a smartphone and hardly expected that his first video would get over 5 lakh views in next to no time바카라earning him Rs 37,000 when he was jobless due to the Covid pandemic. He has been something of a sensation since, Âmaking lakhs from his YouTube videos.
Isaak posts videos about local cuisine and traditional lifestyle on a regular basis on his YouTube channel바카라바카라Isaak Munda Eating바카라. With 273 videos, the Âchannel has 7.77 lakh subscribers now. 바카라I am grateful to the prime minister for appreÂciating my work. The people of my village too are Âdelighted,바카라 Isaak says about his prime ministerial mention. Media persons, politicians and other important people, besides commÂoners, made a beeline for Babupali soon after the Mann ki Baat Âbroadcast on Sunday. 바카라Isaak has Âinspired all of us and Âbecome a symbol of the resolve of the youth to do Âsomething new,바카라 gushed Union Âeducation and skill develÂopment Âminister Dharmendra Pradhan.
(This appeared in the print edition as "Pakhala Millionaire")
By Sandeep Sahu in Bhubaneswar
