Anshul Yadav and Pragya Sikka, Co-Founders, Memboro, recently joined NewsX for its special segment NewsX India A-List. Recognised for their excellence in rising startup, the duo spoke about how they are helping content creators get paid for the content they make.

Speaking about Memboro and its journey till now, Anshul said, “Memboro, in a nutshell, is a social media platform where fans can financially support their favorite creators and creators can provide their exclusive content to their fans. A content creator can create a membership model and put their exclusive content behind Memboro. The entire creative control stays with the creator only. A fan can simply subscribe to those models to get access to their content. Apart from it, to show their support and love for a creator’s content, they can voluntarily contribute any amount of money, which we call a ‘cheer’ to the creator. “

He added, “Utsav, Pragya and I came up with this idea around one year ago and we started building the platform. During the whole development phase, we have been in constant contact with many content creators, so that they can give us a seed bank and we can come up with a perfect market fit. We launched on 12^th March and it was a huge success. More than 1000 viewers came to visit the platform in just 30 minutes of our launch.”

When asked about team behind Memboro and what sets them apart from other such platforms, Anshul said, “Memboro is a platform for the creators and by the creators. I and Anshul are artists ourselves. Before actually developing the platform, we talked to over a 100 creators to understand their problems and requirements when it came to being financially independent and support their own craft. A young and passionate team has been able to deliver features overnight, a 24/7-customer support, assisting creators who join us with marketing, helping them to strategize their content. I think how actively and dynamically we are involved with our creators and our users, is what sets up apart from any other startup.”

Talking about how does the crowd funding process work on their platform, Anshul expressed, “Let’s assume that I’m a painter and I release a painting on any social media platform. Be it Instagram, Youtube or Memboro. You, as a fan, really liked it a lot and you want to support me for making more such content like this. You come to my Memboro profile. You write your message and you cheer me some amount. Now, that amount with your name and your picture, is going to stay there on my creator profile forever. That’s how the crowd-funding part works. Your messages and worships for me and your love for me is going to stay there forever.”

Sharing her opinion on scope of the concept of crowdfunding in India, Pragya said, “It is no doubt that the concept is pretty new in Indian sub-continent. It’s hard for people to see content creation as a full time job. During the process and during our journey, a lot of creators told us how they left their jobs to pursue content creation full time after joining Memboro. It’s time people start realizing the value and potential this whole economy has. Also, it has been seen that people, who choose the road less taken, are not able to get that respect in society. This is not just about money but also about value and respect a content creator deserves. Through Memboro, we are trying to break that stigma.”

Check out the entire interview on NewsX YouTube:

Known for her famous music performances, Singer Jasleen Royal recently joined NewsX India A-List for a candid conversation. In the exclusive chat, she gave us a sneak peek into her birthday plans, forthcoming projects and much more. Read excerpts:

Jasleen, who is all set to ring in her birthday on 8^th, told NewsX that after 2 years of planning her birthday, she has now decided to not plan anything this year. She said, “I have been planning since the last 2 years and this time I’m not planning. There has been a lockdown and everything but I’m grateful that things are better now and people are getting vaccinated. I am not planning on anything because right now, I don’t think you should be planning anything. It is very random. I don’t know what is going to happen.’”

When asked about her key lessons during the pandemic, Jasleen expressed, “Yes, of-course. I got to spend time with my family. We just get lost in this rut of life, where you just think about work. We keep everything on the side and think yeah we’ll do it, maybe next month or next year. This has been a wake-up call to strike a balance. Balance it out, because you don’t know what is going to happen. You cannot control things so balance it out. Balance your work life without your work life. Give time to your family and it is okay to take things easy. Sometimes, things might not fall on your timelines. We think we need to do this before 35, this before 30 and so on. It is okay. Just have fun.”

Speaking about the process of creating music amid the pandemic and whether it was a challenge for her, Jasleen said, “On the positive side, yes. We did get a lot of time on our hands. If you were lucky enough to not get Covid and fight with the whole system. I have been one of the lucky ones. There were not many serious issues. I did get time during that phase. Seeing what’s really happening around you to your family and friends and close relatives, I have not been in that mindspace to be able to focus on just music. Whenever I did get time, I did work on some songs. I am waiting to shoot a couple of them, which are pending since last year. As soon as the situation gets better, I am just going to go, shoot and release them.

Jasleen recently came up with tracks like Sang Rahiyo and Nit Nit. On being asked her personal favourite, she responded, “My personal favorite is going to come. The next two songs that I am going to be releasing are my personal favourites. But yes, I have got a lot of love for Sang Rahiyo from people and Nit Nit has a special place in my heart because it stars my dog Kobe. He is the most favorite member of our family. That song will always be special because of his presence there. It might sound very cheesy but yeah, that’s the truth.

Check out the entire conversation on NewsX YouTube:

Shruti Sinha is a dancer, actor, social media influencer and digital content creator. With more than I.5 million followers on Instagram, she’s changing norms and breaking all barriers. She recently joined NewsX for an exclusive conversation as part of NewsX Influencer A-List series. In the exclusive conversation, she spoke to us about how she used her passion for dance to grow professionally, her journey into digital content creation, public response on pole dance and much more.

She commenced by explaining how she got into digital content creation, she said, “I want to clear that firstly an actor and a dancer. People saw me on TV, liked me and started following on social media. That’s how I started creating digital media content. I love being in front of cameras, so content creation comes easy to me. I started enjoying it because of the response and growth I was getting. Sometimes like everyone, I have artist block when I don’t know what to do next. I love following trends in my own different ways. I want to do something out of the box and not just follow trends.”

When asked about if negative comments or trolls have ever come in between the content she wants to create, she replied, “No, not a hindrance for me but it would be for a lot of people. I have grown a thick skin to these comments. I am a pole dancer and people look down upon it. Pole dancing is a beautiful and difficult art form. People think that if you are a pole dancer you are a stripper. I got a lot of hate on that but I didn’t pay any attention to it. Now when I post it, I have millions of views on my poll dancing.”

Explaining the difference between pole dancing and exotic pole dancing, she said, “Exotic pole dancing is what strippers do and is very sexy. You can’t do pole dancing with full clothes because you need skin to grip pole. So automatically there are short clothes which people mistake to be a stripper. I am trying to do more graceful contemporary dance on pole.”

On clearing if she chose graceful pole dancing over exotic pole dance because of social media comments, she added ,”No. People anyway don’t know the difference between the two. I personally don’t do it because I feel like I want to master this first and then go to exotic pole dance. I am much focused while learning anything.”

Sharing an instance from her trip she said, “I wanted to click a picture climbing and doing a move on a street lamp. A girl who’s educated and being in the same industry refused it by saying that this place is very decent and your pole dancing is indecent. I gave back to her by telling her how much hard work goes behind every single move.”

Picking up the cause to normalize pole dance and speaking on if there are many influences and creators to support and respect poll dance as an art form that requires so much, she responded, “I don’t want to take the responsibility to change the world because one person can’t but I am doing my bit. I never liked teaching when I was 13-years-old and I thought that when I will be 30- 35 years and then if nothing workout in my life then I’ll teach. But I started teaching pole dancing because I want to introduce more people to the pole. They come for a free trial class, people who come to me and ask me about pole, I am ready to give them answers and educate them on that. It is basic art form which is fairly new in India but now it’s coming up because Jacqueline did it and lot of people are doing it.”

Talking about her social media journey she shared, “Every time I have to send my insides to my team or any brand and when I open it, they say that your interaction and impressions are so good. Whenever I am creating, I look at it like probably my audience would like to see. I haven’t changed myself. I always put out what I like but keeping in mind that my audience would like it too. I keep asking them what they want to see.”

Emphasizing on the organic element of her creations, she said, “Initially I used to post pole dancing videos and there wasn’t a lot of interaction. But one day I just shoot a video, posted it and I got 5 million views, I started posting again. I knew my pole dancing videos aren’t doing well but still I posted them for myself. I kept a balance and that’s how my growth happened.”

The creation of strategic narratives is at the core of modern communication strategies in business, politics and even in warfare. The battle of narratives has become the bedrock of international politics, and social media has emerged as a powerful tool in this battle. Social media distinguishes itself from the other means of communication because it empowers individuals to engage in ways unseen before. An individual pertaining to a particular ideology can promote its propaganda in a number of unique ways to shape opinions of others. In the present scenario, social media platforms are being used in such a way as to manipulate the opinions of others and to influence the outcomes in such a way that these are posing difficulties to policymakers, military leaders and intelligence agencies.

The transmission of information has become ubiquitous. In India, about 448 million people actively use different social media platforms. The nation on numerous occasions has witnessed how social media trends can shape opinions of the masses and based on such information shared on different handles people are constantly leaning towards different political ideologies. We all have been a witness to many such narratives trending on platforms like Twitter be it #MeToo campaign or #NotMyPM. During this pandemic, we witnessed how people came together to provide help to those in dire need of it, through tweets and Facebook posts, which only goes to show how these platforms can either be of great use to a nation or create controversies to such an extent that it may sometimes pose threat to the peace and tranquility of the nation, depending on how it is used.

The Government of India, to better regulate such platforms, announced New IT Rules under Information and Technology Act, 2000 in February 2021, to which these social media platforms were given 3 months to comply with. The new rules mandate these social media giants to frame a larger grievance redressal mechanism which will include a Chief Compliance Officer, a Nodal Contact Person and a Resident Grievance Officer. The platforms are required to publish this information on their websites and guide users to make a complaint against any objectionable content. These complaints are then required to be acknowledged within 24 hours of the receipt and needs to be addressed within 15 days. After the amendment in the policy, #twitterbaninindia started to trend on social media platforms which cannot be further from the truth since the new law does not impose any kind of ban on social media platforms rather simply places them under a higher level of scrutiny pertaining to the kind of content that is being shared using their platforms. Section 2(w) of the Information and Technology Act, 2000 defines an intermediary as “any particular electronic message means any person who on behalf of another person receives, stores or transmits that message or provides any service with respect to that message”. According to Section 79, IT Act (2000), intermediaries are immune from and not liable for the content being circulated on their platform, no matter how objectionable if they comply with legal takedown requests of user posts from courts & public authorities. Under the new rules, however, they would continue to enjoy the same level of legal immunity if they are seen complying with IT Rules, 2021 otherwise, rule 7 of the IT Rules, 2021 states that Section 79 of the IT Act won’t apply to intermediaries in case they fail to comply with the new rules.

These rules have been framed to better regulate the kind of content that is being shared on social media platforms. People under the garb of anonymity can often be seen making abusive tweets, hashtags and engaging in cyber bullying without thinking twice.

In recent times, the information available on social media has had a major role to play in manipulating people’s opinions. It would seem at times that some of these platforms have their own agendas. Social Media platforms are supposed to connect individuals from all over the world wherein people can pour in their ideas and engage in healthy and meaningful discussions. The problem happens when these social media platforms let organisations with dubious records operate without any hassles, but put a tag of “manipulative tweet” on tweets of a political leader or remove a tick from the official handle of the Vice-President of India. These recent incidents have acted as a wakeup call for many as it has been seen that Twitter and other social media platforms are acting biased. In a letter, the Government of India also raised questions on the role of Twitter, which stated:

1.     The micro-blogging sites will not decide the veracity of the content but the investigation enforcements will.

2.     Twitter’s premature and prejudiced actions may compromise the probe and the government further asked Twitter to not interfere in the investigation process.

3.     Twitter India’s reactions are unilateral and they not only dilute the credibility of Twitter but also questions its status as an intermediary.

Twitter’s double standards became obvious when it rightfully took a strong action against then US President Donald Trump for spreading fake news, but refused to take cognisance in the matter of misinformation being spread on vaccines by vested elements and blatant fake news being spread on the farm laws in India. Capitol Hill in the US was a cause of concern for Twitter, but not India’s Red Fort.

It’s high time social media giants, including Twitter, realises that in order to operate in India it has to—and must—follow India laws.

The writers are law students of Dr Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University, Lucknow. The views expressed are personal.

Change is always opposed. By those who are uncertain about the changes. But more often by those with vested interests. The reaction of the first set of people is spontaneous and can be dealt with much easily by proper dissemination of information. The problem is with the second set of people. For, they know what is right and yet they take a certain stand based on their petty interests.

One finds both sets of people in Lakshadweep, a group of 36 islands off the south-west coast of India, currently simmering with tension over new rules and proposals being introduced by new Administrator Praful K. Patel. On the face of it, the new rules seem perfectly fine as they are aimed at ensuring the safety and well-being of residents along with promoting the islands as a tourist destination at par with the Maldives. At a cursory look, equally convincing seem to be the arguments of those opposing the move, who fervently say that, with the new rules in place, the people of the archipelago may, in the short term, face safety and well-being issues, while in the long term, end up being the first internally displaced climate refugees in India.

The devil lies in the details, however. And when one looks at the details closely, one finds that the agitation, currently being waged in the name of ecology, seems politically and communally motivated. For instance, one of the primary reasons for protests is Patel’s decision to ban beef. An innate liberal in an individual would say why dictate food habits, even when the decision is in sync with the Constitution’s Directive Principles and cow protection laws are in place in most states, but how can anyone talking in terms of environment and ecology defend the move? Forget the moralistic stand against slaughtering around 80 billion animals every year for food, the fact that should bother every environment-conscious person is how our obsession with meat is literally drying up the planet. As former JNU professor Amita Singh recently wrote in an article in The Daily Guardian, “To produce one kg of wheat 1,500 litres of water are consumed, while it takes ten times more to produce the same amount of beef. For making 20-30 chapatis or a kilogramme of rice only 2,497 litres or less of water is used but for producing the same amount of beef 15,415 litres and for chicken meat 4,500 litres of water is used. One hamburger alone sucks 212 litres of water and by that standard an average American who consumes around 280 lbs of meat in a year may require 232,000 litres of water per year just to eat a hamburger.”

Now if you are an environmentalist or a climate change warrior, you would be in the forefront to end this business, especially of the beef kind! Provided your arguments are as skewed as those of Greta Thunberg, who makes a career out of global warming and climate change, but supports farm union leaders mostly hailing from two-and-a-half states against the government trying to reform the farm practices in the country, which among other things would have discouraged farmers from stubble burning and also dissuaded them from cultivating water-intensive crops in a dry state like Punjab. One suspects the protest in Lakshadweep is also orchestrated by those who believe that by following the beef ban, they might lose their very identity!

Another point of contention is the decision to allow those with two kids to be eligible to run for public offices in Lakshadweep. Ideally, the decision should be welcomed, given the fact that nothing is pushing the planet as much on the verge of extinction as population explosion. And Lakshadweep won’t be the first place in the country to introduce such a policy. What further makes the protest hollow is that the new rules won’t be applicable with retrospective effect. It is clarified by the UT Administration in this context that when this Panchayat Act is notified, its provisions will only apply to the parents of infants born after the due date of notification.

Not many outsiders, seeking the new Administrator’s head for “ecologically endangering” the already sensitive archipelago, know that electricity for Lakshadweep is produced from diesel generators. This is having a very adverse impact on the environment there. To save the natural environment and to promote green and clean energy, the government has started the process of privatisation for the production of electricity.

As for the issue of safety and well-being of the locals, not very long ago, 300 kg heroin worth Rs 3,000 crore, along with five AK-47 rifles and 1,000 live rounds, were confiscated in Lakshadweep. Many cases of illegal smuggling of marijuana and liquor and POCSO have also been reported there. Given this background, it’s understandable why the introduction of the draft Lakshadweep Prevention of Anti-Social Activities Prevention or the Goonda Act is being opposed so fervently. Who will gain out of it? For those trying to peddle the argument that the crime rate on the island has been negligible, the fact is that between 2017 and 2019, Lakshadweep, with the population of 66,000 people, is placed second after Manipur in the rate of crime against the state, the National Crime Records Bureau figures show. Now that’s an area of concern given its strategic location, especially with China and Pakistan already on the hunt.

Other arguments, like those of Malayalam filmmaker Aisha Sultana saying that Covid-19 was being used as a “bio-weapon” against the people of Lakshadweep, for which a case of sedition has been slapped against her, are not even worth considering, given that such an outrageous claim came at a time when the Centre was helping setup two oxygen plants at Agatti and Kavaratti.

However, it is a wrong question to ask: Why are we trying to change Lakshadweep? The question should be: Why did we take so long to bring these changes? In the early 1980s, the Maldives was one of the world’s 20 poorest countries. Within three decades, it not just pushed itself in the middle-income country, but also showed massive improvements in healthcare and education sectors, with a life expectancy of 74.8 and a literacy rate 98.4%.

Lakshadweep, in contrast, remained stuck in a time warp. An archipelago of 36 islands, of which 11 are inhabited with approximately 70,000 people, it has a low per capita income and high unemployment level of 13 per cent, as per the data provided by the UT Administration. Even after seven decades of Independence, net connectivity is in an elementary stage in Lakshadweep, especially at a time when the world is taking a giant online leap forward. So, what should we do? Should we leave these people behind in the name of ecology, while the rest of us in the mainland have all the fun? Isn’t it an elitist mentality on our part as we are continuously exploiting the planet for our whims and fancies but keeping these people in the dark ages in the name of ecology?

As the saying goes, life finds a way, so will these people in the archipelago, even if we close all doors of development. If we don’t give them education and jobs, they will find it through others, directly or indirectly working for those inimical to India’s interests, more so when China and Pakistan are overactive in these waters!

Therefore, when the Prime Minister awards a submarine optical fibre cable project of Rs 1,072 crore, expected to complete by 2023-24, it should be welcomed, for it will help create new opportunities for locals in the field of education, employment and business. When the UT Administration is developing three water villa projects in Minicoy, Kadmat and Suheli in collaboration with NITI Aayog, on the lines of Maldives, it should be hailed, for it will help generate jobs.

Better connectivity has an important role in promotion of tourism and regional development. Until now, only low-capacity aircraft (such as ATR aircraft) were able to land at the Agatti airport, due to which national and international tourists would come in small numbers. The UT Administration has started the process of expansion of the Agatti airstrip in collaboration with the Centre. This will enable big aircraft such as Boeing and Airbus to land there, thus facilitating connectivity and tourism.

Similarly, the islands have great potential in the coconut and fishing sectors. There are around 10.5 lakh coconut trees on the island and about 10.5 crore coconuts are produced annually in the Union Territory. Likewise, Tuna fish are found in abundance in the sea there. Approximately 25,000 metric tons of fish are caught every year, of which 92% are Tuna fish. But due to lack of proper arrangement of ice and fish processing, fishermen do not get fair prices for their catch.

It is no one’s contention that the ecology of the islands must be compromised, but one must realise that this can’t be an excuse to deprive the people of their right to life with basic facilities. As the Covid-19 crisis has shown, madhyam marg (middle path) is the way out. For, during the pandemic, with the disappearance of travellers, and flights and cruise ships on hold, carbon emissions have seen a record drop and wildlife a new leash of life. But, on the flip side, there has a rise in cases of poaching and illegal fishing, especially in developing nations. After all, drying up of money in the tourism sector has badly hit the people with interest in saving the wildlife!

One can take a cue from neighbouring Thailand, a tourist haven which was badly affected by Covid-19. During the pandemic, Koh Samui, Thailand’s second largest island, saw hawksbill turtles take over beaches that in 2018 hosted nearly three million tourists—several environmentalists had in the past written obituaries about turtles ever coming back there! In addition to the sea turtles, elephants, leaf monkeys and dugongs too made a comeback in unlikely places in Thailand. Taking note of this development, the Thai government has decided to shut national parks in stages each year, from two to four months, to help “nature can rehabilitate itself”.

Lakshadweep must follow the middle path of sustainable development. This will be a win-win scenario for everyone. Except those who have vested interests in manufacturing dissent!

Indian online fashion brand Tjori signs an equity deal of 16 crores with the Hindustan Times.

The deal signed goes beyond equity investments while also providing branding & marketing.  The establishment with Hindustan Times will help build brand awareness in India and accelerate growth at global level.

 The unique opportunity here is a platform access to HT shop where Tjori as a brand will be featured, with an aim to create exponential avenues for both the brands.

Commenting on the development, Mrs Mansi Gupta, Chief Executive Officer of Tjori, said in a statement, “We are excited to close this deal as it gives us an opportunity to reach a wider audience and present them with what Tjori has to offer. Tjori as a brand works at bringing the best of time- honoured crafts and wisdom with a modern twist. In partnership with HT and its various media channels, we will be able to put Tjori at the forefront of fashion industry”

 Commenting on the partnership deal, Mr. Piyush Gupta the CFO, of Hindustan Times said “We are pleased to announce our partnership with Tjori as it helps us venture into the e-commerce market. The deal is bound to bring an ocean of knowledge for all our readers, regarding the re-modernised way of traditional Indian goodness that Tjori strongly recommends and we as allies also believe in.”

Tjori is a lifestyle e-commerce brand with the vision of bringing the conventional art and craft of India with a sight of overhaul into the global market. The establishment of the brand since 2013, has led to many milestones and it currently caters to a worldwide population who we are proactively educating about the cultural glory of India.