YouTube channel on Garo community gaining popularity

Neel Nandita Ritchil was born and brought up at the remote Birishiri Dakkhin Bhabanipur village in Durgapur upazila of Netrokona. Ritchil did not think that she would be able to make a place in the heart of many as a YouTuber two years ago. But now, the number of subscribers on her YouTube channel 'BD Garo Production' has passed 50,000. 

Watch 50K SPECIAL Q/A with Neel Nandita Ritchil

So, how did it start? Ritchil shared her story with The Business Standard. Ritchil, who belongs to the Garo community, came to Dhaka in 2013 for studying honours. She took admission in Eden Mohila College in political science. As she loves photography, she purchased a DSLR camera in 2017.

Though the internet became familiar to her after she came to Dhaka, she grew interested about YouTube towards the beginning of 2018. Ritchil observed that though there were some YouTube channels on the Garo community in India, Bangladesh had no such channel to represent the culture of the ethnic minority people. This motivated her to open the channel on YouTube.  

Neel Nandita Ritchil has found an earning source through YouTube. Photo: Courtesy

Ritchil, who is now studying masters, said, "I was thinking of opening a channel on the Garo community and what the contents should be. I talked to many YouTubers who said it was a team effort. But I did not know any people who were experts in this field. So I watched some tutorials and learned the methods by myself. Then, on September 13, 2018, I launched the channel BD Garo Production."

The first video Ritchil uploaded on the channel was about a Garo child. It was titled Garo Shishur Ekta Din (A Day in the Life of a Garo Child). The child, Nirob, whose mother worked in a beauty parlour and father was a driver, had to stay alone at home the whole day. Ritchil was the boy's home tutor. 

However, viewers liked the video. The numbers of views and subscribers started to increase. Afterwards, she continued to upload videos on a regular basis. The video contents are mainly on music, dance and culture of the Garo people. Besides, Ritchil uploads travel videos on her channel as well.    

Neel Nandita Ritchil. Photo: Courtesy

But to come this far, Ritchil had to take the help of many people, especially of her friends. Recently, a video of Garo girls dancing was shot in Chandrima Udyan. Ritchil's friends helped her in different ways, including operating the camera and editing. The  video was well appreciated by the viewers.

"Before uploading any content, I have to consider many things and make a plan. I prioritize the viewers' choices. But the content has to match the standard of the Garo community. I try to upload three videos a week."     

Neel Nandita Ritchil. Photo: Courtesy

With YouTube, Ritchill has found an earning source. People's love for her channel as well as the income has inspired her more.
"I want to continue my work on Garo culture so that everybody knows that the Garo community has its own culture," Ritchil said.