TikTok a hit in India's small towns, rural areas

Many accessing Internet for first time, and are drawn to easy-to-use video app

The phenomenal rise of TikTok, which this month had a ban on its downloads imposed by an Indian court, has been fuelled by users from smaller towns and rural India. PHOTO: REUTERS
Nirmala Ganapathy  India Bureau Chief In New Delhi
Updated
Apr 20, 2019, 08:28 AM
Published
Apr 20, 2019, 05:00 AM
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Student Sandeep Raaz Keshri from the small town of Buxar in the central state of Bihar has posted 500 videos on Chinese video app TikTok.

They include videos of him dancing, lip syncing to popular songs in the languages of Hindi and Bhojpuri, which is spoken in Bihar, and acting out scenes from movies.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on April 20, 2019, with the headline TikTok a hit in India's small towns, rural areas. Subscribe

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