Indian ‘granfluencers’ take Instagram by storm with sex education, knitting lessons
- On TikTok, they don’t stop, and on Instagram, a ‘dancing dadi’ posts reels of herself joyfully swaying to classical Indian music wearing elegant saris
- Many senior influencers make an income from their accounts, engaging in live-stream product sales and embedding ads into their videos
Entering the multibillion, youth-obsessed influencer marketing industry is a dark horse: senior citizens.
The rise of these Indian ‘granfluencers’ mirror elderly personalities taking social media by storm in other Asian societies including China and Japan.
Dinesh Mohan, 63, from Delhi, became a model and actor at 55, and inspires his 305,000 Instagram followers with his posts. With his tattoos, ripped jeans and a toned physique, he is also a perfect model for a plethora of lifestyle brands queuing up to sign him up – though it wasn’t always so for him.
“Almost a decade ago, I weighed over 100kg and needed assistance even to stand up,” Mohan said. “But I decided to turn my life around by getting fitter and healthier. My transformation has brought me many opportunities to model and even act in films. I’m also a successful motivational speaker. Life’s never been better.”
Meanwhile, Ravi Bala Sharma, 63, the “dancing dadi” (grandmother in Hindi) who believes that “age is just a number”, dances to Indian classical songs in elegant saris for a following of 187,000. Though her late husband had encouraged her to pursue her passion for dancing, Sharma never found time until 2020 when, egged on by family, she finally launched her Instagram account.
