Letter From Bangalore

India says 'sarang hae' to K-dramas, oppas and kimchi

Ms Nikita Sharma (centre), with her friends in her bedroom shrine to South Korean boy band BTS in Imphal, Manipur. PHOTO: COURTESY OF NIKITA SHARMA
A K-pop contest in 2014 in Chennai's Indo Korean Cultural and Information Centre. PHOTO: INKO CENTRE
Today, India is among the world's top six countries contributing to views of K-pop videos on YouTube and Spotify. PHOTO: INKO CENTRE
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BANGALORE - During a 10-day quarantine in London after a long flight from Mumbai in February, Ms Deepa Kumar tried to displace boredom by acting on the chatter that had dominated her friends' circle for months in India. She started watching the South Korean hit drama, Crash Landing On You.

"Three episodes in, something blew my mind. The deft dialogues, the strong women, and the absolute eye candy that is Hyun Bin (the lead actor) - great! But what kept me going was the show's portrayal of loneliness. It resonated with me sitting alone, far away from home," said Ms Kumar, 30, a political and security risk consultant.

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