We can't tell you who the person is behind the viral videos and posts of Khanti Berhampuriya is because frankly, we don't know either. But we can tell you how his YouTube channel, with 20,135 subscribers, and Instagram account, with more than 10,000 followers, came to be. While the Instagram account is famous for its repost-worthy memes, the channel's USP lies in the hilarious monologues given in the pure Berhampuriya accent on topics like ‘Every Odia Marriage Ever’ and so on. "This generation is all about social media. And a popular social networking website like Facebook is a great place to exhibit your own district and state's culture. I do believe that memes are a great way to popularise almost anything," says the brains behind Khanti Berhampuriya, who goes by the name Dr Banner (Yes, the name is inspired by Bruce Banner aka The Incredible Hulk). The purpose of the channel, according to Dr Banner, was to highlight the humour that lies within Odia people and their day-to-day activities
Speaking to us on the condition of anonymity, the 23-year-old student from Berhampur (of course!) tells us that it was in August 2015, in a village in Ganjam, that he accidentally overheard a conversation between two women who were speaking in the typical Berhampuriya accent. "The conversation was barely five minutes, but the things they talked about were hilarious. I realised that I must do something to make this accent viral or at least people should know the charm that the Berhampuriya accent has," explains Dr Banner. And by ‘charm’ he means the unique pitch the accent has and the short and funny words associated with it. Take for example the Odia term 'paanch minute re pahanchibi' (I'll be there in five minutes). If you were in Berhampur you'd hear this: 'paanchindi re pahanchuchi re tu sithi aka chida heitha', which loosely translates to ‘Yo, imma get there in five minutes. Hold on for a while’. This is just one of the things that you can expect from Khanti Berhampuriya’s videos.
While the accent is pretty much on point, the visuals are eye-catching as Dr Banner uses popular movie posters or animated characters as thumbnails for the simple reason that, "it has the ability to attract a viewer." Gameplay videos serve as visuals for the video itself and keep the audience engaged. Taking us through the process of making a video, he takes the example of his latest video, Every Odia Bahaghara. He sat down to jog his memory and write everything that is typical to an Odia marriage. The script became so long that he ended up making two videos. "The first part took 48 hours to record and edit and three days to script. The second part took 22 hours to record and edit," he says, adding that this is one of his challenges, "I'm unable to give enough time to the channel as I take a minimum of two weeks or script and record." But if the result is as hilarious as his videos, we'd say it's worth the wait! Next up, you can expect Khanti Berhampuriya merchandise. Dr Banner will sell this merchandise from the official website, which is under construction.
For more of Khanti Berhampuriya, click on facebook.com/officialkhantiberhampuriya/
