(February 15, 2024) Chris C is an anomaly on Instagram. An American who speaks Malayalam, his feed stands out in the minefield of social media due to its funny and relatable content, as well as the novelty of a foreigner speaking an Indian language. Started by Christopher (he prefers to go only by his first name) in 2023, the account has grown by leaps and bounds to over 91,000 followers now, with Indians walking up to the young creator and asking for a selfie, that ultimate test of popularity!
Some of his most popular videos include Survival Malayalam (the first one to go viral), Malayali Uncle Vocabulary, and Finding the Most Difficult Words from Kerala.
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Even as a child, Chris was especially interested in language, history, music, the humanities, literature, art, and philosophy. Around the time he was completing his studies, he was looking for a sense of home and belonging. He found it among his Malayali friends who then became his extended family and community.
He recalls, “I needed time to figure out what I wanted life to look like before I started working, so essentially I took a gap year. When I did so, much of that time was spent visiting different friends in my newfound community. They really helped support and encourage me at a time when I really needed such things. They welcomed me in and treated me as a friend and brother. I couldn’t see my life today being in any way the same without them.”
‘Nalla Vellakkaran’
The videos began as a fun way to hit upon relatable moments Chris and his Malayali friends had come to share over the years. Armed with humor and broken Malayalam, the Instagram star wants to be a positive presence in the social media environment. The irony is that the creator always had a minimal presence on social media, being a private person!
“I certainly never expected it would go viral!” he exclaims and adds, “When I saw how well-received those first videos were, I knew I needed to do something about it. Now I really see it as an opportunity to share my gratitude for my ‘adopted’ community and decided to address myself as ‘your nalla vellakkaran’. It’s a bit of a pun on ‘nalla ayalkkaran’ (good neighbor), which is a connotation I enjoy.”
There is no formal process the content creator uses, and being a one-man show, his turnaround time from settling on an idea to scripting, recording, editing, and posting is pretty short—around a week.
“Usually I just mark down possible ideas as they come. When I’m creating content, I try to mix things up by switching between funny and informative content. To be honest, often I just go with what I feel like posting,” he tells Global Indian.
When sharing content that is more technical, he usually buries his head in a Malayalam dictionary or grammar to fact-check himself—and candidly admits that he still makes typos! “Mistakes don’t bother me, however, and I think that helps my creative process. I just like to make videos. There’s no hidden incentive behind it or a need to get things perfect. I do the best I can, as regularly as I can, and I learn as I go,” he notes.
Ask him why he zeroed in on Malayalam, and he quips, saying, ‘Because my community is Malayali!’ and adds, “I speak other languages as well (Spanish, Japanese, and French) with varying levels of fluency, but I began learning Malayalam both as a challenge (since I love learning languages) and as an opportunity to connect with more people in my ‘adopted’ community.”
Chris visited Kerala several times over the years, with his longest trip being in 2019, and he traveled extensively in the state, with his favorite places being Kochi, Kottayam, and Thiruvananthapuram, as well as the mountains up north in the Kannur/Kasaragod area.
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Positive ripple effect
As the influence of social media grows, much of it is used for bullying and toxicity, but Chris’s videos have mostly a positive reception, barring a very small minority.
He says, “In the beginning, Malayalis were just amused that some American guy would know their language and culture so well. Then, over time, people became more curious. They’ve often expressed that they’re pleasantly surprised that I am doing this out of gratitude to the people I care about—the community that took me in and helped nurture me.”
As the audience grows, so do expectations. For instance, when Chris makes spelling, grammar, and pronunciation mistakes in Malayalam, the internet makes sure he knows it. He simply takes them into his stride, adding, “I’m a learner, and mistakes and failures are opportunities, not setbacks.”
Winning over the Tik-Tok generation
At a time when attention spans are growing smaller and smaller, the Instagrammer has understood the golden rule—that there is no replacing a good idea. He has also learned some things from watching other professionals who have mastered short-form content creation and gained insights.
“There are certain tricks, to be sure: how you edit and cut, your hook, your presentation style… but you have to understand what you want to share with others and why they should hear it. That’s easy for me, because I’m very interested and passionate about the things I share, so my goal is really to pass that interest on to others,” he says.
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What motivates Chris are the genuine connections he makes with others and working with other creators. He is one of those few creators who engages with people commenting on his feed and is now getting used to being asked for advice by others.
He says, “I appreciate when I’m able to just have an authentic interaction with others online—usually in the comments. I think it really warms my heart when people say things like ‘you’re so kind,’ ‘you’re so genuine, you’re a real person,’ or ‘wow, you really do care.’ That’s the kind of environment I want to try and grow in.”
As for the future, he committed to starting a YouTube channel if he crossed 100,000 followers, which he will do very soon. Besides, juggling his passion with a full-time job (in medical IT) is not easy, but he manages it because of his interest.
When not doing either, Chris loves hiking, cooking, music, reading, and video games. His immediate plan for the future—to visit Kerala again!
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