Relishing the cuppa: Somvati Mahawar, the tea loving internet sensation

Who: Somvati Mahawar, a woman who appears to be a homemaker in her 30s. There is little known about her, except that she loves tea — most often with paape, a local variant of tea buns — paneer and an occasional slice of watermelon. She likes to dress up for the camera and appears to be a fan of Bollywood films and music.

What: Mahawar became an overnight internet sensation with a short video she posted on social media. It has her drinking tea from a steel glass, inviting her “friends”, her followers on social media, to share a cuppa. She continues that trope with her lunch, some mangoes, a slice of watermelon and paneer. Her videos, which begin with “hello friends” in what has become her trademark style, have inspired other bloggers to make similar videos. The video of a toddler who says, “Hello friends, paani pi lo (drink some water)”, by extension, has gone viral on Instagram.

Other stand-up comics and creative content makers on Instagram and YouTube have made similar videos, some ridiculing the bizarre nature of these videos and others celebrating their unexplained popularity. Mahawar, known fondly as the “chai pi lo aunty”, is now much more than a fickle internet sensation — she has become a cultural reference, a meme that has a life of its own outside of her own videos.

Vloggers are not the only ones to cash in on Mahawar’s popularity. On Twitter, Mumbai Police recently used Mahawar’s “chai pi lo” clip and dubbed “helmet pehen lo (wear a helmet)” over it. Its tweet read, “Hello Fraaands! Helmet pehan lo... to have a Safe-Tea at home! #RoadSafeTEA.” This was retweeted 9,220 times and got over 4,000 comments. Chaayos, a home-grown chain of tea cafés, also referenced Mahawar’s video in its daily specials menu. Mahawar is also popular internationally now, thanks to Philadelphia-based Ben Stern, who made a video with his black mug and said, well, “Hello friends, chai pi lo.”

Where: The origin of Mahawar’s video remains unclear. Some believe it was shared at random by a Facebook user and then picked up by other YouTube accounts. Others believe that her first video was taken from Mahawar’s account on Vigo Video, an app meant for uploading and sharing short videos. It isn’t clear if Mahawar’s accounts on the various social media platforms — YouTube, Instagram, Facebook — are run by her or are just copycat accounts looking to make a quick buck. Every time a video from a fairly popular account goes viral, it means money for the account’s owner. It is yet to be seen if Mahawar is genuinely reaping the benefits of her popularity, given how her videos are being shared across accounts and platforms.

Why: Simply put, the internet is flooded with all sorts of idiocy that has the propensity for viral-hood. Mahawar belongs to the league of self-styled music composers such as Dhinchak Pooja, whose ridiculous videos and lyrics sent her videos up the viral spiral because of their comic effect. Mahawar’s videos have an inherent ridicule factor that play well into the comedy scenario of roasting and humiliation. Most viewers laugh at Mahawar, rather than with her. But if her recent videos are any indication, she looks like a sport who is aware of what is being said about her and is not perturbed by it.