KOCHI: Whilst many of us have second thoughts in raising our opinions or standing for justice, Alappuzha resident Jinsha Basheer does not bat an eye when she spots inequity. Or perhaps, her thought process races far ahead of the righteous. “I will fight if I see injustice,” the strong-willed Jinsha’s voice resonates.
Meet Jinsha Basheer, former software engineer. And now, titleholder of the Best Social Media Vlogger 2018 award with the prestigious blue tick on her social handles, becoming one of the most powerful social media vloggers Kerala boasts of.Jinsha thrives on information; that instills awareness among the public thereby assisting them in differentiating wheat from the chaff and triggering them to raise their voice. She’s bent on providing worthy information to the public.
Which is why Jinsha filmed a video at the petrol station a few months ago when she saw the employees tampering with the petrol being filled. “When I confronted them, I was asked to not create a fuss as these were apparently regular occurrences,” shares Jinsha. Agitated at their response, she streamed a video on social media citing the issue and questioning the silence of the public. That sole video changed her life. Garnering more than 5k likes on Facebook, it set the launching pad for the rest of her videos, all of which, gathered followers in the blink of an eye.
Since then, her videos have been aimed at providing facts and helping the public.A video that warns flood-affected households and shops to insure themselves, a package that lets you delight in the Neelakurinji for Rs 500, Jinsha’s uploads are effective.
Ranging from one-year-old Ayesha who received donations amounting to Rs 30 lakh for her bone marrow transplant to the late Shaan Shahul, whose poverty-ridden family inspired the Saudi-based AL Khaseem NRI Group to donate Rs 11 lakh to his family, the nature of her videos are varied with immediate responses. When questioned if collaborating with an NGO would add to her credibility, the firm woman says that it does not interest her.
“I have no belief in trusts. I want to do charity on a direct-person basis. Transparency is key,” she says. Jinsha has also proved to be of utmost help in helping the state get back to its feet post the floods. Nevertheless, helping the public comes at a cost. One would assume that Jinsha is lauded for her efforts. However, unfortunately, she is hounded by religious fanatics. “The fact that information is received through a woman irks them. I feel Kerala is yet to openly accept a woman vlogging about such issues,” Jinsha says. Despite the storm, her husband Faisal, and her family are her rock. ‘If your instinct feels right, then you must not hesitate to go forward’ was her father’s advice. One that she still continues to abide by. Jinsha is the perfect example of the quote, ‘Here’s to strong women. May we know them. May we be them. May we raise them.’