How can you tell if you are a true Malayali? Can't figure it out? Then, check out the Pink Lungi, a platform that is devoted to covering the quintessentially 'naadan' stories and features everything that makes Kerala God's Own Country. They are trying to create content that takes you beyond the confines of Mallu stereotypes, allowing you to explore the unexplored. We had a quick chat with the page's co-founder Aishwarya Gopinath about how they stumbled upon the idea and what they are up to now.
"We pick up topics that have a sense of relatability to Malayalis and also cover areas that Keralites are not exposed to here. We have recently started publishing on everyday financial aspects that talk about basic strategies for beginners, something that they don't teach you at school here. We also talk about social issues, but mostly we talk about entertainment. Our strengths lie there as we have people in our team who know A to Z of Mollywood," says Aishwarya about the kind of topics they cover.
It is hard to believe that a page that is all the rage among Malayalis was at first just a two-person gig! "Govind (Govindan K) and I were working in Mumbai. I was in the digital publishing sector then. We would have these get-togethers with some Malayali friends of ours where we would discuss everything about Kerala. We would talk about how we miss home, why people leave Kerala and so on. I soon realised that there is a lot of untapped potential in Kerala. Since I was in the digital space already, I was able to establish a web space where the hidden side of Kerala could be showcased and that's how Govind and I began the Pink Lungi," she narrates.
There is an interesting anecdote about how the name came to be as well. The 26-year-old Thrissur girl says, "It just happened when we were brainstorming ideas for the name and suddenly my mind drifted to an old Malayalam cringe song called 'I am a Malayali and I wear pink lungi'. A decade ago, it was a huge hit. It just worked perfectly, even our friends thought so."
Aishwarya also talks about how she has been seeing a cultural shift taking place in the past couple of years. "I feel the lockdown and the pandemic have given a lot of space and time for developers and influencers to come up with content that is progressive in nature. People have shown up to engage in conversations that you would not see in mainstream media. So, they have been getting new-age opinions and viewpoints from the digital space primarily. This is encouraging to see," she says.
Speaking about the page's parent company Cranial Bloom's expansion, Aishwarya says, "We are trying to create a separate platform that covers the travel sector, food scene and small businesses of Kerala. We are trying to be that one-stop shop for all travel and food bloggers in Kerala. They are not being served by any big publishers at present."
Despite her experience, Aishwarya does confess that there are some challenges in creating content for the digital space. "There have been instances where people have just lashed out at us abusively. We simply take down that comment since we do not support abusive language. When there is an opposing viewpoint, we try to convince them using logical arguments or even sarcasm. The interactivity of the platform does present this challenge. But the reality is that people come from different circumstances and one answer cannot please everyone. You can't expect them to change overnight. Other than that, I have had a personal shift as well, since I quit my job to focus on the Pink Lungi full-time. That is a challenge that I have approached head on," she explains.
