South Asians for Change as TikTok Influencers: Chandan Bukkapatnam
By Tanya Khan
“Hi, is this Chandan?” I said his name the way I had heard it pronounced before-- Chun-dun. I waited a while for a response and then heard from the other end of the line “sorry I took so long to respond, I’m not used to people pronouncing my name the way it’s supposed to be pronounced.”
By the first two sentences we exchanged with one another, I knew that Chandan’s warmth and positivity would radiate from Colorado all the way to Boston.
Chandan Bukkapatnam is a college student pursuing his bachelor’s degree in Computer Science. He enjoys playing sports, like Basketball and Tennis. He comes from an Indian family. He likes spending time with his family, who have influenced his beliefs and instilled strong values in him. But perhaps the most notable of all of the facets of his being, is that Chandan is unafraid to speak out against oppressive entities, policies, behaviors, and systems.
From my personal experience, I’ve noticed that videos combating misogyny and inherently patriarchal practices or ideologies that are made by female creators receive demeaning comments, or invalidating remarks stating that they’re being ‘too sensitive’ or ‘overdramatic.’ Chandan noticed the same thing, which is why he believes that “when women’s rights are discussed by men, a lot more people listen” and they are in turn, more receptive to change their approach. It’s upsetting that in order for topics to be taken seriously, the validation of a male is needed, but with creators like Chandan who make a conscious effort to strive toward equality with every video, the future seems more promising.
I was itching my head as to why a college student, who has seemingly nothing to gain out of advocating for women’s rights, is pushing out a feminist narrative and uplifting female voices. When asked this question, Chandan shared a story that spoke to me because I’ve lay witness to how frightening catcalling can be. When people joke about this very heavy subject, it baffles me as to how any aspect of someone’s trauma can be made into a punchline.
“Seeing women around me get harassed in India and in the United States showed me how unfunny it is to make humor out of the objectification of women-- everything just became real all of a sudden.”
Though Chandan and I mainly discussed the oppression of women in society, his page also combats pressing issues relevant to today’s world like systemic racism, gun control, microaggressions toward minorities, and reforming the police.
In my life I’ve never seen a gun pulled on anyone or had one pulled on myself. I do however, recognize that members of the Black and Latinx communities can’t say the same solely because of the way society perceives them as ‘thugs’ and ‘drug dealers’ who need to be exterminated as if they were pests.
“The fact of the matter is that no matter how oppressed we [South Asians] are in this country, when I was with my Black friends, the guns were pulled on THEM not me. The hatred was channeled toward THEM not me. It’s pathetic that what saved me from being a victim of improper gun control that day was the color of my skin.”
Even after receiving so much hate from the internet, from his peers who thought Chandan was exhibiting ‘snowflake’ behavior, from community members who didn’t want him to destigmitize certain topics, and so many more entities who were discouraging his dream to fight for equality for all using his privilege and platform, Chandan persevered and has provided a safe haven for over 120,000 people on his page.
“You see all of the privileges you have that others don’t and you think to yourself-- how can I make a difference so that someone’s life, or even someone’s day can get a little better?” said Chandan.
After our conversation, I can say even more proudly than before that I belong to the South Asian community which consists of people like Chandan who are making a difference one post at a time.