The nationwide lockdown in India has led to a significant number of job losses in different industries and sectors. In April, Delhi resident Abhay Verma, 25, learnt that he had lost his job. As he fell into despair, Abhay did not lose hope and started posting fun videos on Kwai, a popular short videos-sharing app, in order to distract himself. Soon, his videos started getting noticed and as of today, his Kwai profile abhayverma888 has over 1,200 followers.
"Making fun videos and engaging with my followers on Kwai has been a source of great relief for me during these difficult times," says Abhay. He also says that researching for new jokes for his videos has helped him in coping with the stress. "I have decided that even when I get another job, I will continue to create and post new videos for my followers regularly," he says.
Abhay had downloaded and joined the Kwai app recently but had not posted any video of his own. Following his job loss, his sister-in-law Lovely Verma encouraged him to take his Kwai profile seriously. Lovely herself is an active user of Kwai.
Abhay realised another hidden benefit from being active on Kwai app. In April, he participated in a Workout challenge on Kwai by posting a video of him working out. His entry was widely liked and won him a cash prize. Recently, he won the second prize along with a cash kitty of Rs. 3,000 in Kwai's #HasteHasaate viral campaign. Altogether, Abhay has earned several thousands of rupees in just two months from his participation in various contests on the Kwai app.
"Earlier I liked the Kwai app only for entertainment, but now it has become a small source of income for me. Several of my friends have also joined Kwai after looking at my success," says Abhay. He says he is planning to buy a new camera and learning videography in order to create better videos. "Kwai is an important part of my life now," he adds.
"Laughter is a natural stress buster and promotes an overall sense of well-being, and we are happy that our platform is helping Abhay and possibly many others in dealing with the stress of a long lockdown," says a spokesperson for Kwai.
Available for free for Android and iOS users, Kwai is a popular video-sharing app that lets people watch or share fun videos of their own directly from their smartphone. A lot of Kwai's content is based on memes, music and challenges which allow users to engage with other people.