Sumithra Sriram went from being a housewife to a viral internet sensation thanks to her relatable, honest reels about homemakers. Here’s her story, in her own words
“My everyday routine is simple. As a middle-class homemaker, I spend my time taking care of my family, doing household work, being a support to my extended family, taking care of elders and revolving around the kitchen 24X7. A homemaker’s work, however, is never valued enough. And at one point in time, I got extremely drained out, felt emotionally and physically exhausted and couldn’t lift my body to even do normal routine things (I don’t even want to think of those days again). And it was that time when my daughter said, ‘Amma, why don’t you start an Instagram page dedicated to music?’. I was very sceptical in the beginning because I considered social media as a very unsafe place. The other thing is, I’m not a professional singer, so why would people listen to me singing? But she pushed me, and I started my Instagram account with much hesitation.
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I started practising a few movie songs to post on my page, and I felt really, really happy. As a child and before marriage, we were not allowed to sing movie songs. And after marriage, I did not find the time to sit and relax with songs. And this was a perfect opportunity to reconnect with what I love. I also love to dress up, and I started wearing all my new saris and makeup and enjoying what I was doing. My friends, my daughter and her friend kept encouraging me, which was a big boost.
An incident pushed me to make the reel that ended up going viral. We have a school group in which a lady has this habit of casually putting others down, and one particular day, I was the target. I really felt terrible because she put me down so quickly in front of a group. I closed the chat, and I sat on the sofa. I did not even wash my face or do up my hair. In the same casual attire, I made that reel on homemakers not being valued, and it became a super hit. I did not expect it to become so big. So many big pages and well-known actresses shared it on their stories, and it got a million views within a week. I started getting a lot of DMs and private messages, and I realised that they were also going through the same thing. They feel bad about not being recognised enough or valued enough for all the work that they do.
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And that’s when I realised that I’m not alone! I thought that I should start making more reels on the everyday, common problems and struggles of homemakers. So that’s how I started making video content. It was a big boost for me–all the women out there coming and supporting me. I get a lot of comments and DMs saying it’s so relatable, which makes me really happy. And not only that, people start discussing the issue in the comments section and end up helping each other out. It’s beautiful to see that, and I feel very satisfied with the work that I am creating.
The reels I create are out of my experience, and I put my heart and soul into them. I am happy that many women relate to it, but it is also sad that many women are struggling or suffering over the same things I did. At least I can voice out.
My advice for women with similar struggles is to put ourselves first. It will be challenging initially because it’s a significant shift in the mindset. After all, we have always been taught to please others. We may feel like we are being very selfish by doing so, but we are the ones who know our struggles and can understand our journey; prioritising ourselves and our needs is a must. You will not regret doing it. We don’t need to seek validation from outside. We can self-validate.
I am happy that I have a lot of exposure now. I was a homemaker, and my exposure was limited only to my circle of family or my household work. Now, many small businesses are approaching me for collaboration. When I discuss my work with them and talk to them, there’s a lot of information that I’m collecting. I am also more confident. I used to feel very inferior, especially when I saw women around me working while I was a homemaker. I used to think I was not beautiful enough, but I’ve realised that what we are is more important than how we look. I love that I don’t give up easily and am not afraid of hard work. I am very consistent with my work and enjoy whatever I do!
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For those who are feeling lost at 40, I would say that age is just a number. Till the age of 43, I was feeling lost. Post 43, I started doing a little bit of yoga and meditation, and post 44, I started my content creation journey. You have a lot to achieve after 40, as that’s when a lot of our responsibilities are over. The children are grown up and can take care of themselves. So 40 is a beautiful age where you can work on yourself. Right now, I am looking forward to continuing to make reels that help the women around me. I would love to collaborate with more people and expand my knowledge. I would also like to travel. I’ve never travelled much, but I have a list of places I would like to visit. I am excited about the future.”
Lead image and videos via Sumithra Sriram’s Instagram
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