How to be a social media star… without the internet
When the Indian government shut down the internet in Kashmir last year, no one believed it would go on for this long, including local social media sensation Wasil.
Wasil is well known for his funny, flirtatious satirical videos. But he also lives in Indian-administered Kashmir, which is arguably one of the least-connected places on earth. The internet is often cut off or slowed down to a trickle. It’s one of a number of measures the Indian government has taken to restrict information in the province. The government says the measures are necessary to clamp down on militants – but rights organisations call them a serious breach of civil liberties.
For Wasil, it makes making and uploading content extremely difficult. Even worse, his career came to a crashing halt when the Indian government banned the app where he has his biggest following - TikTok. The longest continuous internet blackout in Kashmir began more than a year ago. So how is he coping?
Presenter: Reha Kansara
(Photo: Wasil with the sun setting behind him, Credit: Wasi)l
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