Abhi and Niyu
| Photo Credit: Special arrangement
Abhiraj Rajadhyaksha and Niyati Mavinkurve aka Abhi and Niyu are the only Indian content creators — of informative vlogs — to represent India at the 27th Conference of the Parties (COP27) in Egypt, the only Asians invited to attend the conference of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
At the conference, the duo echoed the demands of ordinary citizens and became the voice of the Indian delegation, calling for strong global action from first-world countries and climate finance. Niyu says, “It was enriching to learn about various initiatives that can be adopted. Through our vlogs, we will be talking about them and explaining what the initiatives mean and aim to do.”
Ever since they started their journey during the lockdown, Abhi and Niyu have created content on almost every topic – ranging from lesser-known kings to the latest govt policies, current affairs, history, climate, politics and more. They gained popularity as they decode and simplify issues for millenials with a belief that small steps can lead to big outcomes in the future.
With over seven million followers across all social media platforms, the duo is in search of pragmatic, accessible solutions to climate change. Abhi says, “We came across case studies of waste management, solar cooking prototypes etc when there was talk on compost, waste management and air pollution. These solutions can be replicated by Indians. We plan to talk about these initiatives through our vlogs.”
The duos #100ReasonsToLoveIndia had them travelling across India to find 100 heartwarming stories of change, positivity and inspiration, endearing them to netizens. “We started that page to talk about positive, impactful ideas and inspire offline action from online content. It was a bid to replace negative news and feeds with positive, action-oriented news that made some change,” adds Niyu.
The duo was surprised to come across a climate game that is free and open to all. “Initiatives like these go beyond mere talk of solution. The game is a good way to bring about awareness and it is a simple game, so everyone can play and get to understand a thing or two about saving trees.”
On November 7, 2021 National Cancer Awareness Day, the duo released a YouTube video wherein they discussed the remarkable treatment of blood cancer in only one click and without spending a single penny (through stem cell). The duo also made a video with Binish Desai — India’s Recycle Man— on his work on eco-friendly bricks 2.0. Dr. Binish discovered a solution to turn woven PPE debris and masks into bricks. Binish and his colleagues received 21 kilograms of worn-out masks and PPE kits from homes after the film was released. They pick up environmental issues like the destruction of forests in Goa’s Mollem which won 1 million views on YouTube and 8.6 million views on Instagram. The Save Mollem team was able to get over 3.5 lakh email objections within a few days of the protests. Their videos on Data Privacy started a conversation about data security and got 52 lakh views on Instagram alone.
