SAMBALPUR: The labourer-turned -YouTuber Isak Munda from Babupali village under Jujumura block in Sambalpur district, has shot to fame after Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded him in his Mann-ki-Baat radio programme on Sunday for making productive use of technology to transform his life.
The 35-year-old internet sensation had uploaded his first video featuring him having Pakhala (water rice), the famous local dish of Odisha, in last March. Thereafter he became popular among the youtube viewers for his
videos related to tribal cuisine and lifestyle.
Praising Munda, the prime minister said, “Isak Munda ji hails from a village in Sambalpur district of Odisha. Isak ji once used to work as a daily wager but now he has become an internet sensation."
Through his YouTube channel, the PM said, Munda is now earning a lot of money. He shows local cuisine, traditional methods of cooking besides his village lifestyle, family and food habits, he said.
The youngster's efforts are very off-beat, especially because his content is reaching a large number of people living in cities, who are unaware about such lifestyle. By balancing culture and cuisine equally, Isak Munda ji is today celebrating as well as inspiring us, Modi said in his monthly radio programme.
Munda decided to post videos after watching similar content when he did not find any work to maintain his family during the pandemic. He had to borrow around Rs 3000 to buy a smartphone for recording videos.
His first video went viral after it was viewed by nearly five lakh people on YouTube. Three months after posting his first video, he received Rs 37,000 in his bank account. Thereafter, he has ben regularly posting content on his culture, tribal community, lifestyle among other subjects.
He is running his channel by the name ‘Isak Munda Eating’, which has 7.77 lakh subscribers at present. He has posted 273 videos so far.
Expressing his joy, Munda said, when he started his journey he had never expected to reach so far. "I am happy to be known by so many people today and feel blessed to be recognized by the Prime Minister. YouTube has changed my life and has made me financially sound. I have been able to give my family a better lifestyle,” he added.