A month or two ago, a certain baba was all over Indian social media, for saying that biscuits were actually ‘vish-ki-kit,’ (kits of poison). For a good amount of time, Indians online were hell-bent to find more such dubious claims of the baba. But in that attempt, some videos where the baba makes very relatable and groundbreaking statements resurfaced. The very people having a laugh at him were now becoming his fans. Today, Aniruddhacharya Ji Maharaj has a robust following of 1.9 million followers, and is an icon for young Indians online. He has become so famous, that he was invited as a guest on a popular reality TV show.
How Aniruddhacharya rose to Gen Z and Millennial fame
A forehead covered in saffron color, and wearing colorful drapes over his shoulder, Aniruddhacharya has quite literally changed the way young people are viewing content. At his appearances, many of his followers line up to ask him questions that trouble their lives. His answers are what has gripped social media, especially when they are of a social context. Those that deal with women are what changed the tide against him, and earned him the moniker of ‘Pookie Baba.’ The internet now loves him for his reality-check comments.
A woman comes to him seeking help about her unemployed son’s marriage. She says that she is getting options, but doesn’t want a working woman to be her daughter in law. “We don’t like jobs. We like to stay home, the woman tells Aniruddhacharya. He then jokingly asks her if she wants to treat the bride like horse riders, who put blinders on horses to prevent them from looking anywhere but ahead of them. He says this while laughing all the while, clearly finding the situation amusing. But it tells a lot about the treatment of women in the society, which Baba Aniruddhacharya is trying to change via his videos.
In another instance, he encouraged sponsoring higher studies for women, when he revealed that he has done so for his wife.
He has also been vocal about bad habits like drinking and the rest that are associated with it. He once rebuked a man for drinking occasionally, by rhetorically asking him why he doesn’t let his young son drink too. On an amusing yet heartwarming note, he urges a man with a drinking problem to talk to his wife. When he replies that his wife refuses to do so, Aniruddhacharya says, “So you talk to her. Tell her ‘I love you,” as a solution to help combat his drinking.
Aniruddhacharya only has the best interests at heart for his followers, and the occassional outlandish comments
Aniruddhacharya has become a celebrity on social media. He is relatively young compared to most such babas, who nowhere have the following that he has; that too composed of young people. He tells Times of India that he is happy by making people laugh. “As long as there’s a smile on your face, I feel I’m doing something right,” says Aniruddhacharya. He also says that he is doing a “noble thing” by making people laugh, and “bringing joy.”
But that does not mean he is always gently reprimanding the bad aspects of his followers. Aniruddhacharya has a serious issue with pizzas and burgers, regarding them to be made with “rotten bread.” A young girl asked him for help to quit these foods, and he warned her about the use of “fevicol” in the ads of pizza chains. To another woman, he urges eating fruits when outside, and added that she herself has “become like a pizza” because of her eating habits. Though not a cool way to advocate healthy eating, Aniruddhacharya sees an enemy in popular fast food.
The connection he shares with his followers is unique, as he is extremely relatable and down-to-earth with them. His vanity remains bright and colorful clothes. Aniruddhacharya now has a following that is unique to himself, because rarely do Gen Z and millennials of today listen to gurus. His audience today might not be as religious, but laud him for his comments that help improve the thinking of society. While Aniruddhacharya does say the odd comment now and then (about BJP’s loss in Ayodhya, he said that “those who shoot at bhakts have won”), one cannot ignore the fact that the rest of his opinions aimed at genuinely helping people make sense. The combination of internet relatability and a religious guru is what shot him to overnight stardom. With his regular content, India’s netizens have their dose of entertainment (or maybe infotainment?) set for the near future.
