TEXT Suhani Lotlikar

With all the jazz around youngsters creating trends on social media platforms, we were bound to see something interesting from the world’s largest young population. We came across Hypeitdesi a few months ago and have followed their journey from being a concept IG page to a registered LLP. To tell you a little bit about Hypeitdesi, it is a community of digital creators that represents Indian and Indo- Amercian South Asians. Along with representing 50 creators in their fours projects namely beats by desi, HXD, GLO’D and HIDxBizBoard; Founders Priyam and Muskan are here to tell us about what it is like to be a creator in 2021. 


STARE team: How did you come up with the idea of Hype It Desi?
Priyam Sharma: Hypeitdesi was born out of a revamp of my initial start-up idea called Mystory, my voice when the government banned TikTok. After testing its potential, we realized that there is a need for an original community where creators support each other, make content together and meet creators of similar niche as them. 



ST: How did you land on the name Hype It Desi for your brand?

PS: It was like a random phone call where I was speaking to a team member and said ‘the word “hype” is so trending what if we just add desi with it cause it makes it more relatable to our venture.’



ST: So Muskan, how were you introduced to HID?
Muskan Tyagi: Priyam introduced me to his idea of building a community where we are able to give a platform to the creators and where they can explore with others from the same field. I was so intrigued by the idea that I knew I wanted to be a part of it and contribute to it.

ST: How did GLO’D come to life?
MT: “GLO’D; Glow, Global and Desi” The name came to life when i was just thinking about the main characteristic I want my team to be remembered as, Glowing, Global and with a hint of Desi. GLO’D is a diverse community of enthusiastic fashion and beauty influencers not only national but international too. Keeping fashion and beauty our base, we experiment with different concepts and challenges every month.



ST: What are HID’s brand values?
PS: I would like to say these few words explain our values- Originality, Diversity, Well Rounded, and Cooperative.



ST: Why did you decide to work with content creators specifically?
PS: It was more like because they are trending, we want to work with them. We want to be original and by working with digital creators we are around a powerhouse of creativity and ideas.



ST: How has your journey been with HID?
MT: Getting up every day thinking that we have set up something that is meaningful and the responsibility that comes along with it does scare me sometimes but also at the same it challenges me to give my very best. 



ST: Where do you see GLO’D in a year from now? 
MT: Well as the name goes, glowing and global. Currently the base of national creators in GLO’D is very strong but we have only a few but talented creators from around the world. In a year from now I would like to see GLO’D set strong overseas too.



ST: How has your journey been from the day HID launched till now?
PS: Intense, challenging, anxious, overwhelming, fast, complex, screaming some days I want to  quit and take up on job offers. Someone who said ‘your business is like your baby,’ it really is and it is all I think about as if it is a part of me that I created



ST: How is your newest project- HXD shaping up?
PS: Baby steps, I am glad we represent some talented Indian and NRI South Asians. But personally I would like to thank Simran Kulkarni for being the face of the project and trusting us, and every other creator who is in with us for the project.



ST: What are HID’s future plans?
PS: Global reach of South Asian content creators.
MT: To help South Asian creators take over the world of digital content with their talent and originality. 



ST: Penny for your thoughts?
PS: You will have many burnouts but if you do, understanding you are doing it right. Distract yourself. Watch a movie, or listen to music. Don’t work 24/7. The most important thing I have learned is to understand and respect differences. Ask people what they want, communicate and confront as it is the key to resolving problems. Adapt to trends but make them your own— DO YOUR THING.



TEXT Kanika Joshi

Remember when you were a nervous teenager going through body changes that didn’t make sense? Your body doing a 180 degree on you? Facial hair, voice cracks, acne that left you confused? Well, I will not be surprised if you tell me you didn’t know what was happening or that no one around you talked about it. Just like that we know there’s a whole stigma around period talk and reproductive systems. And yes, we know there is so much information online these days, but it just isn’t enough. So, we are here with a little bit of information to keep the conversation going.


Most girls start their period somewhere between 9 and 16 years, with each period’s length 2-8 days. Literally no one told me that I was just going to start bleeding one day and it did not come as a fun surprise on that rainy day at school. Your period has a lot to do with your diet, weight, and your percentage of body fat and vice versa. Your monthly cycles change throughout your life depending on stress, age, weight gain or loss, or having a baby. If you have any concerns regarding this, you should see a doctor, specifically a Gynaecologist as soon as possible.

What if my periods aren’t ‘normal’?

If there are any irregularities with your period, it’s essential to note your symptoms and consult a doctor. The most common menstrual problem faced by women is PCOS. Below is a short description on the same.


Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is a hormonal condition which begins during a girl’s teen year. This problem might be more common than you think, with 1 in 5 Indian women suffering from PCOS, still few people are talking about it. People don’t talk a lot about PCOS because of the stigma around period talk and the unrecognised necessity to address issues around it unless the woman is unable to conceive.

The fear that a woman with PCOS cannot conceive at all leads people to ignoring the conversation as their families fear that it would cause hindrance in them getting married. We can say that this patriarchal system that sees childbearing as a woman’s ‘biological duty’ if awfully flawed. Thus, doctors too many a times focus more on ‘preservation’ of fertility which is makes it hard to find the right diagnosis and treatment. This patriarchal gender bias in healthcare and medical research can harm the woman’s well-being on the longer run. Also, the social stigma attached to having high levels of testosterone leading to facial hair, weight gain, acne associated with PCOS; challenges the expectation of an ‘ideal’ female body. It also leads to different body image and mental health issues.

As we step into the year 2021, it’s high time we stop viewing PCOS as a hindrance to fertility, childbearing and dwelling into the orthodox ideas of femininity. We need to focus on the emotional, physical and mental impact on the women affected, talk about issues, share in confidence and grow together.

Please do write to us for any help/resources at [email protected]



TEXT Isha Chincholkar

EDITOR Suhani Lotlikar

Have you recently come across any rural issue headlining the front page? Social media users are vaguely informed of the Hathras Case and Farmer’s Tractor Rally but has there been any exclusive print feature covering the same for traditional readers? In the Indian media, there is a clear lack of coverage of happenings in Rural India. According to the Centre for Media Studies (CMS), space given to rural stories that account for almost 69% of the population is about 0.07 percent. Most of the national dailies such as Times of India and Indian Express from the metropolitan cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore are unable to cover rural India centric topics.

The coverage of rural India is limited to crimes taking place in rural villages and some typical agricultural announcements. Reporters only travel to villages at the time of a ‘crisis’. For instance, when the Hathras rape case got a lot of attention from the people living in ‘centres’, a lot of urban reporters travelled to the village to cover the scene. But the media did not cover the Lakhimpur rape case which took place in rural Uttar Pradesh. Neither did the newspapers included the story on their front page nor did they follow up on that case. Hathras came into the limelight firstly through social media platforms but Lakhimpur rape case was never dissected. In the month of November, the state of Bihar held their Legislative Assembly elections. Newspapers gave large prominence to the promises made by the parties, counter attacks of opposition but none of the national newspaper reporters reached rural Bihar to cover any news during this period. One of the current issues- The Farmer’s Protest too gained momentum on social media first. The feeders of our agricultural country had to travel to the capital city of Delhi as they were unable to gain any media coverage from their villages. Even when they got coverage, some news-channels like Zee News, Republic linked farmer’s protest with ‘Khalistan’ taking away the focus of the issue and failing to provide a platform to farmers.

A classic that is recommended to every journalism student to read is a book named Everybody Loves a Good Drought. It is a collection of reports on rural India, written by the renowned journalist P. Sainath. His reports point out the flaws in the healthcare system, education, rural poverty schemes, etc. The book consists of data that was available in the year 1966 but those sore numbers have still not changed in the year 2020. The representation given to rural issues is close to negligible. P. Sainath says the mainstream media is an institution that is defined by ‘excluding the mainstream.’ Sainath is also the founder and editor of PARI (People’s Archive Of Rural India) which is an online alternate media model which focuses on rural India. Other small portals such as CGNET, a voice-based online portal that allows people in the forests of Chhattisgarh to report local news in Gondi by making a phone call. They provide representation to people and communities who do not get any space in the mainstream media. By not giving enough representation to rural India, the practice of good journalism is fading away from the basic ethics of journalism.


TEXT Dan Hastings-Narayanin 

Has the demand for a desi male body in mainstream culture led to the desexualization?

When actor Kumail Nanjiani broke the internet at the end of 2019 with a shirtless picture showing off this newly transformed pumped body, thousands of women and men were left drooling over it. And then when he flaunted about this picture being reused by Pornhub, the new Marvel actor created conversations around beauty and sex standards for South Asian men.

For Caroline Vasquez and Claudia Ferreira- two French journalists who specialize in topics related to women and pop culture admitted that Kumail is still ‘not their type.’ On the contrary, they expressed that Asian men can be sexy and fit into the fantasy of many women. Having grown up in a predominantly white country, they justify that ‘For us here, South Asian men are the ones running 24/7 grocery shops.’ According to @yourauntpulandevii – an Instagram account run by a young aid worker promoting brown history, the western knowledge of desi culture does not go further than Bollywood, Taj Mahal, poverty, rape culture and many barely even know Sri Lanka exists. She adds “We don’t see much of the desi man in media albeit documentaries on poverty. Ultimately, the lack of representation in western culture leads to misreading, suspicion, and ignorance. No one can fantasize about them if they are not represented anywhere.” Having a captured a bit of international spotlight, the Slumdog Millionaire and Mission: Impossible actor Anil Kapoor and model Satya Oblette who was scouted by Jean-Paul Gaultier and Kenzo in the 2000’s have shown some advancement. Pulan Devii expresses how proud she and her mother were of this Indian personality embodying westernized beauty standards. And this brings us to the Givenchy F/W 20 collection which was entirely inspired by Yeshwant Rao Holkar II, Maharaja of Indore. It was an astonishing event to watch a desi man and his masculinity setting the tone of a French luxury couture house.

As our wait for South-Asian men in cinema and fashion continues, their representation in professional porn is almost non-existent. And the revolutionized Pakistani-American actor has given us a ray of hope. For his upcoming role in ‘The Eternals’, Nanjiani spent a year working out with trainers and specialized dietitians. Ripped like a bodybuilder, he is being referred to as ‘ridiculously fit and sexy’ on multiple media platforms. But his transformation and achievement of the lead role of a superhero might not just be enough to change the paradigm. Journalist Claudia says, “Let’s take Jackie Chan for instance. He is ripped but I don’t find him sexy.” Yet when it is Jean-Claude Van Damme- the Belgian actor starring in the exact kind of action films, it feels different to her. So, even a bulked up and hairless South Asian man will not be enough until the industry works on diverse representation and we as individuals keep away from the so called ‘ideal beauty’ standards.


and we are digging the all brown cast featuring Jameela Jamil and Freida Pinto.

TEXT Suhani Lotlikar 

At the end of the last decade, Disney showed us what they had coming for the new decade. The Juniors announced a new show called ‘Mira, Royal Detective’ set to be released in March 2020. The show is about the adventures of a smart young, brown girl named Mira in the fictional kingdom of Jalpur. Her character is played by the 16-year-old Leela Ladnier. In the show, Mira will be seen solving mysterious for both her royal family and the people of the kingdom for which she earns the title of Royal Detective. The cast of the show extends to Freida Pinto who plays Queen Shanti. And our ever-so-lovely Jameela Jamil will voice the character of Mira’s Auntie Pushpa. The star-studded casting list goes on with Kal Penn and Utkarsh Ambudkar who will voiceover the characters of Mikku and Chikku respectively while Aasif Mandvi will voiceover for Mira’s father.

Each episode will feature two 11-minute stories and many of them will spotlight music, dance and customs that are rooted in Indian heritage and culture. As a 90’s kid, one of the desi animated shows I remember was ‘Chota Bheem’ which was set in a village with a strong boy saving the day for everyone. The female character ‘Chutki’ was designed to be fair, skinny and have pink cheeks- you know the typical. The other shows were mostly based on the old Indian mythologies. This show, however, will represent brown culture not only for South Asian children but worldwide. We are hoping for it to be something that brown kids can relate to their age rather than falling into the sexist, misogynist and itemized hands of Bollywood. And the theme song ‘Mira, Mira, Mira, Mira… Royal Detective’ is catchy too! As an animated series lover at 21 myself, I cannot wait for the release of this all-desi show.