Global Indianstory Global Indian ExclusiveSooryagayathri: The Carnatic prodigy shining as the star of spiritual music

Sooryagayathri: The Carnatic prodigy shining as the star of spiritual music

Written by: Amrita Priya

(October 21, 2023) Her inaugural US concert in San Jose last month was sold out even before the young Carnatic singer Sooryagayathri had boarded the flight for her 22-city US tour between September 9th and October 23rd 2023. The 17-year-old mesmerised classical music enthusiasts with her luminous voice in places like Portland, Sacramento, Dallas, Memphis, Boston, Seattle, Detroit, Raleigh, Greensboro, Hartford, Chicago, and Washington to name a few.

A few days ago, in a packed hall in Atlanta, Sooryagayathri infused a sense of divinity with her ethereal rendition of bhajans and kirtans during the devotional concert. The Gandhi Foundation of USA honoured her with ‘The Young Ambassador of Peace and Ahimsa Award’ in recognition of her outstanding performance of soulful renditions that enhanced the spirit of Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr’s teachings of peace and non-violence.

Sooryagayathri

“Receiving an abundance of love and support from people all over the USA. Thank you all for turning up in big numbers for all the programmes,” the gifted artist shared on social media during the tour.

Performing tirelessly across 22 cities throughout the USA, the young artist graciously fulfilled numerous audience requests with a smile, showing no signs of the strain of her whirlwind tour.

Touching chords globally

Apart from stage performances in India and abroad, in places like Singapore, Bahrain, and now USA, the teen Carnatic singer sings for famous music labels like Times Music, Strumm Spiritual, Ishtar Devotional and Strings of Pebble Productions. Owing to her effervescent talent, Sooryagayathri often gets compared to none other than the music legend, M.S. Subbulakshmi.

Her YouTube channel has amassed an impressive 374,000 subscribers through which she has captured the hearts of the music lovers spread across the globe. During her ongoing US tour, Sooryagayathri even managed to host a live FB session for her followers because it was a special occasion. “We are happy to announce that our first original composition – Gopigopalam has crossed the 10 million views mark,” she shared with her fans.

“In a digital landscape filled with content, hitting the 10 million views mark is an extraordinary testament to the power of creativity, connection, and the ability to capture the hearts and minds of a vast online audience. And doing this with an original composition can be a challenging but rewarding journey,” she added.

Three years back, Sooryagayathri had sung the song Gopigopalam with her friends, and had uploaded it on her channel. The theme of the song revolved around a ‘musical celebration with Gopis playing with their Krishna’. It was the first attempt at a group song by the artist which was also sung by her friends, Gatha, Ganga, Hridya, and Anugraha. The five girls appeared in the artistically shot video, which has been viral ever since it was uploaded on YouTube.

The Carnatic prodigy

When Sooryagayathri was just nine years old, Kuldeep M. Pai, a Carnatic singer and independent music composer from Bengaluru who was creating caller tunes for mobile companies, used her voice for a rendition of the Hanuman Chalisa. Following the recording of the Hanuman Chalisa, Pai uploaded the song, along with a short video featuring still photos of Sooryagayathri in his studio and a few Lord Hanuman images. This release, along with her performances of ‘Ganesha Pancharatnam’, ‘Vishnu Sahasranama’, ‘Annamacharya Keerthans’, and ‘Vaishnava Jana’ – renditions that were famously performed by MS Subbulakshmi, marked the beginning of Soooryagayathri’s rise to stardom.

Sooryagayathri

“With faith, discipline and selfless devotion, there is nothing worthwhile that you cannot achieve,” remarked the star singer during this year’s launch of ‘Namaskaratha Shiv Mantra’ by Times Music.”

Making traditional music relevant to youth

The teenage artist is determined to broaden her audience beyond just the older generation who appreciate Carnatic music. To bring this traditional genre into the modern era and captivate today’s youth, she introduced her live band, ‘Sooryagayathri – The Band,’ in June. This ensemble combines both traditional and contemporary instruments, featuring a talented team of artists.

“Team Sooryagayathri presents a devotional fusion band with a modern touch for our newer generation audience,” she shared. “Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything and to combine all these together, our band will take you to a divine spiritual musical journey in coming months,” remarked Sooryagayathri.

From Kerala’s village to global stage

Soorygayathri, a native of Purameri in Kerala, comes from a family of artistic talent. Her father, P.V. Anil Kumar, is a highly skilled Mridangam artist in Kerala, while her mother, P.K. Divya, is a gifted poetess with a natural flair for words.

When Sooryagayathri was merely three, her innate aptitude for pitch and rhythm became evident, prompting her parents to introduce her to formal music lessons. In fact, her father became her first teacher. She received formal training in Carnatic music under the expert guidance of her gurus, S. Anandi and Nishant Nadapuram.

In addition to her classical vocal training, Sooryagayathri is also mastering the Veena under the tutelage of Ramana Balachandran, with the fundamentals initially imparted by Krishnendu G. She also practices Mridangam alongside her father.

Sooryagayathri during a performance

Despite her absolute commitment to music, Sooryagayathri remains dedicated to her studies. This year she excelled in her class 12 exams, scoring 100 percent in Sanskrit, and excellent marks in all other subjects. With a packed schedule of performances throughout the year, the Carnatic star never neglects her studies, and even utilises her time on flights to catch-up with her academics.

Follow Sooryagayathri on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube

Name*

Email*

Name*

Email*

0 Comments

Inline Feedbacks

View all comments

Published on 21, Oct 2023

Share with

ALSO READ

Sejal Akerkar: The Seattle poetess who donates her books’ royalties to the needy

(February 17, 2023) Sejal Akerkar had attended poetry camps in middle school and continued to write but hadn’t really thought about doing it as a profession. That changed when she found inspiration in the Canadian-Indian poet, artist and performer, Rupi Kaur. Rupi’s first collection of poetry was published in 2014 and became a New York Times bestseller. “When I started reading Rupi’s poetry, I was inspired to write because she was so similar to me – a young, Indian-American student. I found great comfort in reading her poems and started to write.” By the time Sejal turned 15, she had written over 100 poems. [caption id="attachment_27571" align="aligncenter" width="572"] Sejal Akerkar[/caption] Following in the footsteps of her role model, she self-published her first poetry book, Walking down the sensory strip. The Sammamish High School student introduced her second poetry book, Optic opening to the world soon after. While the first book made it to the top 35 in the women’s category on Amazon, her second book did even better, finding a place in top 5 in the category of Asian poetry. The India experiences Like her parents, Sejal was born and raised in the USA. However, the seventeen-year-old spent three years

ght="863" /> Sejal Akerkar[/caption]

Following in the footsteps of her role model, she self-published her first poetry book, Walking down the sensory strip. The Sammamish High School student introduced her second poetry book, Optic opening to the world soon after. While the first book made it to the top 35 in the women’s category on Amazon, her second book did even better, finding a place in top 5 in the category of Asian poetry.

The India experiences

Like her parents, Sejal was born and raised in the USA. However, the seventeen-year-old spent three years of her life in Gurugram, India, where her father was posted. That’s when she came across the non-profit Udayan Care, which gave her a fresh perspective on life.

After returning to the US, the teenager published two poetry collections and on instinct, decided to donate the royalties that her books fetched. “When my books were published, I knew that I didn’t need the money earned from royalties and giving away the money to Udayan Care seemed the best thing to do,” says the youngster as she connects with Global Indian.

Udyaan Care, Sejal says, "has multiple houses and homes across India where they foster orphaned and abandoned children and give them higher education. It helps them succeed in the world instead of getting into the orphanage system.”

[embed]https://twitter.com/udayancare/status/1591042430824230912?s=20[/embed]

When Sejal and her family was in India, her mom became associated with one of the houses in Gurugram, teaching English to the girls there. “She would take me and my younger sister along to hang out with them and over time we built lasting connections,” she recalls. “We use to hear their stories of how they lost their parents, or were abandoned by them. We built deep connections and started celebrating festivals and birthdays together. We would see them all the time.”

When the family went back to the United States, they wanted to stay connected to the cause. “While my mom joined Udayan Care USA as the president, I became a volunteer. We planned lots of fundraisers and activities,” Sejal says.

Teaching poetry

These days, the teenager also teaches poetry writing in an elementary school. “It’s my after-school activity," she tells, adding, she loves being a mentor to kids between seven to 10 years of age. “I even created the entire curriculum of the poetry class,” she says.

By applying a different approach to teaching, the young teacher enjoys great bonhomie with her little pupils. “I teach differently because I think that usually poetry is taught in a very structured manner which tends to get boring for students. I don’t teach them how it is supposed to be. I give them creative prompts,” she says.

Sejal helps her pupils imagine with visuals, drawings, videos and more, and makes them write whatever comes to their mind. This keeps them interested. “It’s like giving them a little seed and let them water it, allow sunlight to come and help them grow their poetry without structuring them or restraining them from anything.”

As for her own poetry, Sejal writes on a wide array of topics – ‘life as a teenager and how it feels to go into adulthood, about my immigrant grandparents, how they came here and what they gave up to get here’, she tells. “I also write about the destruction of nature by humans, my relationships with my loved ones, social media, technology, my friends, myself,” smiles the teenager who loves dancing and golf.

While her first two books have done well, she is in no hurry to come up with the third one, and rather prefers to evolve a bit as a poet. With all her focus on the ongoing college application process, the teenager looks forward to take up biology. “That's complete opposite of what people would expect from me,” she chuckles adding, “I think combining creative and scientific things are very useful to the world today and I want to focus on a lot of multidisciplinary studies in my life.”

Follow Sejal Akerkar on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn

Reading Time: 5 mins

Amaira Gulati: The young golf star from Mhow is all set to play in the US

(December 3, 2022) At seven, Amaira Gulati is a golf star who has already played in 35 tournaments as a professional golfer. She first began playing at the age of four, after watching her parents play in their free time. “I was five when I started playing it professionally,” Amaira told Global Indian. A grade-two student at Emerald Height International School, Mhow, Amaira registered a remarkable win in the recently held US Kids Tour Event held in Delhi. This win has culminated in her being selected for the US Kids world championship to be held next year in North Carolina, USA. [caption id="attachment_24961" align="aligncenter" width="772"] Amaira Gulati[/caption] Early start When Amaira’s parents Colonel Baljeet Singh and Harpreet Kaur discovered their child had an unusual talent for the sport, they believed that with training from a young age, she could be a good golfer. “I was trained under Gyan Sir and Sharaf Sir. My Golf caddie, Ajay Bhaiya, also teaches me,” Amaira says. Her father’s frequent job postings, in places like Shahjahanpur, Hissar and now Mhow near Indore, means Amaira’s training regimen is often disturbed. Still, her passion is so unwavering that she manages to keep pace with the

w.globalindian.com/youth//wp-content/uploads/2022/12/banner_amaira.jpg" alt="Indian Sportsperson | Amaira Gulati | Global Indian " width="772" height="640" /> Amaira Gulati[/caption]

Early start

When Amaira’s parents Colonel Baljeet Singh and Harpreet Kaur discovered their child had an unusual talent for the sport, they believed that with training from a young age, she could be a good golfer. “I was trained under Gyan Sir and Sharaf Sir. My Golf caddie, Ajay Bhaiya, also teaches me,” Amaira says.

Her father’s frequent job postings, in places like Shahjahanpur, Hissar and now Mhow near Indore, means Amaira’s training regimen is often disturbed. Still, her passion is so unwavering that she manages to keep pace with the game.

The first tournament abroad

The youngster has been a part of and won major under-8 tournaments in north India. She is the leading player of the Indian Golf Union’s north zone 'E' category, having won all its nine tournaments this year.

Whether it is the Delhi Golf Cup, Chandigarh Golf Cup, Albatross Golf Event, Shubhankar Sharma Invitational, or Hyundai National School Championship, the youngster has won in all the tournaments that she has played in 2022. However, winning in the US Kids Tour Event is special. The seven-year-old is all set to make her foreign debut and will play abroad for the first time at Pinehurst, also known as the ‘cradle of the American golf’.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vh8iPycS4k

Amaira competed with golf players of Saudi Arabia, UAE, South Korea and Japan to find the coveted spot at the event organised by US Kids Golf, the leading brand for junior golf equipment that conducts tournaments across all continents. The season winners of all continents have been invited to play at the annual world championship to be held in USA.

Fruit of hard work

Talking about one of her first tournaments, when she started playing professionally, Amaira recalls, “It was fun but when I didn’t get the trophy, I started crying and asked my father why I didn’t win.” The tournament was in Chandigarh. “My father said, if you want the trophy you will have to work harder. I did so and kept on winning after that,” she remarks.

Practice happens after school and the young golfer rarely misses a session. Nearly 10-days in a month are spent travelling across North India for tournaments and Amaira tries to make the most of this, too, learning as much as she can from the coaches she meets. She follows what she has been taught by the experts in those places, during her routine practice sessions back home.

[caption id="attachment_24964" align="aligncenter" width="846"] Amaira Gulati with the prizes she has won so far[/caption]

Amaira’s parents support her fully, as does her school, which helps her keep abreast of what she misses when she’s on tour. “When I come back from tournaments, my teachers support me in my school work and help me with what I do not understand.”

Going with the flow

In her free time, Amaira loves dancing, singing or swimming. She also adores maths. “I want to become a renowned professional golfer like Aditi Ashok. She is my role model,” says the rising golf star, about the trailblazer of women’s golf in India.

Follow Amaira Gulati on Twitter and Instagram

Reading Time: 5 mins

Rohan Kalia: Indian-American teen wins President’s Scholarship for glaucoma detection device

(August 25, 2023) It was after one of Rohan Kalia's family members was diagnosed with glaucoma that the Indian-American teenager began researching an affordable technology that could be used for early detection. A sophomore at Wheeler High School in Marietta, the 17-year-old found that glaucoma ranks as the second most prominent cause of irreversible blindness on a global scale. The startling fact prompted him to look for an affordable solution in the form of a device that can accurately diagnose the condition. This gave birth to EyePal, a portable device that can detect glaucoma with 95 percent accuracy. The invention won the teenager the 2023 IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) President's Scholarship, which comes with a prize of $10,000. Glaucoma is an eye disease involving the degradation of the optic nerve that carries visual information, leading to a gradual loss of vision. If not detected early, it can lead to some degree of permanent blindness. The condition is detected from images taken of the retinal fundus (the back surface of the eye's interior) during a standard examination by an opthalmologist. During his research, Rohan found that a person's socioeconomic condition impacts the diagnosis of glaucoma. "I learned that

oma. "I learned that there's a huge disparity in eye care treatment across the world," Rohan said, adding, "Diagnosis and prevention of glaucoma is not accessible."

[caption id="attachment_32712" align="aligncenter" width="596"] Rohan Kalia[/caption]

Moreover, he discovered that people in rural areas are worst affected as many individuals face difficulty in accessing glaucoma testing due to a shortage of eye doctors and testing centers, coupled with the expensive equipment, absence of health insurance, and high-test costs. Understanding the severity of the condition, Rohan knew he had to find a solution. Explaining the working of EyePal, he said, "The EyePal uses a quality camera, a Raspberry Pi minicomputer, machine-learning technology, and a mobile app. The camera takes photos of the fundus and sends them to a mobile device that can be examined by a specialist. EyePal showed 95 percent accuracy when tested on sets of fundus images."

Apart from its accuracy, the device's portability is yet another plus point as it can be employed in rural medical centres and health clinics as opposed to the standalone specialised equipment that can be used only in a doctor's office or vision testing center. "The device costs less than $100," Rohan said, adding, "It's 50 times cheaper than the average price of ophthalmology equipment, in addition to being highly portable. What I did was create this new ensemble-based system of diagnosis."

The invention won him the President's Scholarship, which refers to as a "nice surprise." Moreover, EyePal was presented at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in May in Dallas, Texas.

The inventor, who loves creating solutions and plans to work in the field of research, advices future engineers to keep going despite the obstacles. "In an engineering project, you're going to face times you want to give up, but keep persevering. Pick a project topic that you really like,” the Global Indian says, adding, "When you’re really interested in the topic, it will give you the motivation to keep pushing through."

UK’s Youngest Chess Grandmaster: How Shreyas Royal is changing the game

(November 16, 2024) In the hushed halls of the Bavarian Open in 2022, fourteen-year-old Shreyas Royal was about to make history. Across nine games, he played with the skill of a seasoned grandmaster, carefully outsmarting his opponents and securing seven points. This wasn’t just any win—he became the youngest player in the United Kingdom to reach a grandmaster-level performance. For Britain, a country with a deep chess tradition and competitive scene, seeing such young talent was rare. By the end of the tournament, Shreyas Royal’s name wasn’t just another entry; it was the headline, marking the arrival of a fresh new talent. [caption id="attachment_40404" align="aligncenter" width="657"] Shreyas Royal[/caption] Bengaluru to London: A Journey Begins Yet Shreyas' journey to the chessboard was far from ordinary. Born in Bengaluru in 2009, he moved to the United Kingdom with his family at the age of three when his father, Jitendra Singh, accepted a job as an IT project manager. They settled in South-East London, in the lively, multicultural neighbourhood of Woolwich. Shreyas was still a toddler, curious about the world around him, and showed an impressive memory. It was here, thousands of miles from India - the birthplace of chess- that his father

y, multicultural neighbourhood of Woolwich. Shreyas was still a toddler, curious about the world around him, and showed an impressive memory.

It was here, thousands of miles from India - the birthplace of chess- that his father introduced him to the game as a way to channel his young son's sharp mind. "It took me some time, but I was curious," Shreyas recalls, describing those first tentative steps. It wasn't until he started winning matches against other children at school that something inside him clicked. "And that got me hooked."

[caption id="attachment_40405" align="aligncenter" width="428"] A young Shreyas[/caption]

Discovering Chess

By six, his parents had signed him up at a local chess club in East Ham, where he trained under the guidance of a private coach. From then, chess became more than a hobby — it was the beginning of his journey into competitive arenas across Europe. His first taste of international success came in Greece, where he clinched silver at the European Schools Chess Championship. His skill and tenacity set him apart early on, winning him multiple awards, and soon, the young player from Woolwich was recognised as one of the country’s brightest prospects. Chris Ward, a British chess grandmaster, went as far as to say Shreyas was "the best prospect the country has ever seen."

The Biggest Challenge

But for all his success, life in the UK presented its own set of challenges. In 2018, the family faced the prospect of returning to India as his father's work visa neared expiration. The requirement? An income of £120,000 a year — far beyond his father’s reach. For a brief period, it seemed that Shreyas's chess journey might be cut short. However, the English Chess Federation, along with supporters in the political community, appealed to then-Home Secretary Sajid Javid, citing Shreyas's potential as an exceptional talent. Javid himself acknowledged, "The UK is a country that fosters world-class talent, and Shreyas is one of the most gifted chess players in his generation."

This was a turning point. The visa extension not only allowed Shreyas Royal to continue his journey but freed his family from an uncertain future, giving him the stability he needed to continue on his chess journey.

The Mind of a Chess Prodigy: Strategy and Preparation

From that point, Shreyas intensified his focus, opting for homeschooling to accommodate his training and tournament schedules. His strategy preparation became more methodical, studying opponents' strengths, weaknesses, and past games. "I check to see what openings he has struggled against in the past and also look at some of his statistics, how well he has fared against weaker opponents,” Shreyas explained. "Aiming for any type of an advantage with white and equality with black out of the opening are also very vital goals." The discipline, patience, and hours of practice were part of the foundation that helped him succeed at the Bavarian Open and beyond.

Shreyas's story is closely tied to the Indian community in the UK—a group that has maintained its cultural roots while contributing to many areas of British society. This community has played an important role in enriching the UK’s cultural and professional landscape. Shreyas represents this blend of Indian heritage and British identity, bringing pride to both. As the child of Indian immigrants, he comes from a tradition that values hard work, education, and resilience—qualities that clearly influence his approach to chess and life.

A Love for the Game Beyond Titles

Shreyas is now focused on achieving new goals. He dreams of becoming one of the world’s top 10 players and hopes to win the world championship by the time he's 21. However, his passion for chess isn’t just about the titles. "For me, it's not so much about the money," he said. "It's about having fun playing chess. I just enjoy it," said the Global Indian. This genuine love for the game keeps him coming back to the chessboard every single day.

Looking ahead, Shreyas understands there’s still a lot to learn. “It is a very fascinating game in which I feel I have a lot more to learn,” he says, reflecting his humility despite his achievements. For now, the young grandmaster-in-the-making stays focused on training and competing, fueled by the same curiosity that first drew him to the game.

Follow Shreyas Royal on Instagram

Being CarryMinati – how Ajey Nagar became one of YouTube’s biggest sensations

(March 26, 2024) Some people love him, some hate him, others love to hate him. Whatever category you might be in, Ajey Nagar makes sure you just can't ignore him. Best known by his stage name, Nagar, who will turn 25 this year, is India's most followed YouTube personality in 2024, with a whopping 41.6 million subscribers on his channel, CarryMinati and another 12.1 million on his livestream gaming page, CarryisLive. This month alone, CarryMinati ranked 36 in YouTube Entertainment and 84 worldwide. In 2019, he was named one of the Next Generation Leaders by TIME Magazine, and at the age of 20, was one of the youngest on the list. CarryMinati is slapstick, very loud, and often downright silly, with his over-the-top takes on "cringe-worthy" videos he finds on Facebook and TikTok. Behind the camera, though, Nagar is an astute and savvy creator. Born and raised in Faridabad, Nagar always steps out of the house in a black hoodie, even in peak summertime, to avoid being recognised by his legion of fans. "I can't go to malls or restaurants," he told TIME. [caption id="attachment_36840" align="aligncenter" width="382"] Ajey Nagar, aka CarryMinati[/caption] In 2019, CarryMinati found worldwide fame when he dissed

ign="aligncenter" width="382"] Ajey Nagar, aka CarryMinati[/caption]

In 2019, CarryMinati found worldwide fame when he dissed Swedish YouTuber Felix Kjellberg (PewDiePie), another controversial star of content. At the time, PewDiePie was locked in a subscriber race with T-Series and released a video that mocked an Indian man speaking broken English. CarryMinati came to the rescue on January 1, 2019, with a Hindi rap video called ByePewDiePie, where he says, "one day, India will rule the world." These days, the Global Indian produces videos only in Hindi, targetting a large chunk of India's 462 million YouTube users (India has the world's largest YouTube audience, with the US a far second at 239 million).

The CarryMinati method

Ajay Nagar began making video content when he was eight years old. And the more he did it, the surer he was that it would be his life. When he completed 10th grade, his mother hoped he would prepare to study medicine, "but I knew I couldn't do it," Nagar told the Hindustan Times. "I said, 'Buy me a PC', and chose arts," he added. It was a big move for Nagar, who comes from an established, and highly educated family. His mother is a doctor, his father a lawyer and his grandfather (late Shri Gajraj Bahadur Nagar) was a Cabinet Minister in the Haryana government.

When he started out, he ran many different channels, but around 2016, focussed his attention on one of them, where he felt he had found a niche. Back then, he was just a school kid playing video games and trying to make his friends laugh by mimicking and roasting celebrities - at the time, it was Bobby Deol. Deol went by CarryDeol and would inspire Nagar's own online name, CarryMinati.

However, the process has remained the same, even though his team has grown. The first, and most time-consuming step, Nagar says, is to find the content. And it could take more than three or four days at times. "Then comes the scripting part, it is the most fun part. I lock myself up in my room for two days and focus on the script." Then comes the shooting and editing, which takes another four days. Viewers send him ideas too, his inbox is always full with links to cringe videos. In 2018, after his team "worked day and night, to get him an opportunity," CarryMinati interviewed Tom Cruise and the team of Mission Impossible 6, and that video has received 33 million views to date.

"My expectations were nothing. I only wanted 50k subscribers, a room to play my games in and to make enough money to be able to buy new games and create content," he said. His channel grew beyond his wildest dreams, though, and time and time again, Nagar, who has also matured over the years, has re-evaluated and re-strategised his offerings. He's always the over-the-top goofy kid, though but these days, he does have to be careful of what he says, given his massive reach.

Being Ajey Nagar

In front of the camera, CarryMinati is brash and unapologetic. Behind the scenes, Ajey Nagar struggles with the weight of his fame, and of catering to expectations. "I struggle with that, as I do with getting out of the house. I have the fear that once I am outdoors, I will be judged, or that even if I eat, I will ahve 10 people staring at me." He has also admitted that he struggles to walk up to strangers, even at a party, and make conversation, and is happy when they come up to him. That said, relating to people is a crucial part of what he does, because that's the source of his content. It's also essential to him having some normality in his life. "Honestly, there has been a time when I sat down and started feeling bad about myself thinking, 'Oh, poor me, I've missed out on so many things'. The love of my friends, late night rides on scooties and eating junk food at the nearby 24x7. But take a look at my life, it's not bad at all," he said in an interview.

There's also the struggle of expectations and insecurities. "When I'm working on my videos there are moments when I scrutinize my jokes, especially if I like them because I'm worried about whether the audience will find them funny or not," Nagar says. And it's a valid concern, because with his outspoken ways and his incredible reach, controversy follows him around. Just the other day, he found himself in hot water for his supposed mocking of cricketer Virat Kohli for not having an IPL trophy in his collection. RCB supporters were furious and the YouTuber went on to issue a quick clarification, saying it was merely a promotional skit where he was doing a parody of RCB fans. However, in a profession like this one, learning to deal with criticism comes with the job description. “I take criticism seriously, but only if it has value to it. Otherwise, I just really don’t have the time,” says Carry, adding, “The amount of criticism I receive, I criticise myself 10 times more for the same thing," he told Hindustan Times.

Tips for aspiring creators

Learn by observation, CarryMinati advises. "Don't observe it like an audience, rather do it as if it's your job. Observe the little things, then you will understand how someone does that stuff, then your mind will open up." When you're watching a video, he says, try and think about what went into making it - from the thought process to the methods of shooting. And, he adds, it's very slow going. Nobody is going to make a million subscribers in 100 days. "The main thing," he says, "is to keep doing it." Evolving and changing with the times is also crucial. Change and uncertainty are the only constants, and Nagar is always prepared for eventualities. "Evolve the content, figure out what works and figure new things in life. And be yourself because nobody can be you."

Follow CarryMinati on Instagram and YouTube.