Hrijoy 'Shamol Da' Kanungo: The boy, who rises above challenges to make everyone laugh

Making someone laugh is one of the toughest jobs on earth, and a young boy from Silchar has been doing it relentlessly. From school and college students to office goers or even grandparents in 60s, ‘Shamol’ da is a part of everyone’s life in Barak Valley.

20-year-old Hrijoy Das Kanungo is certainly the most popular face on social media in Barak Valley. The energetic young boy is fighting all odds to rise above mediocrity, and create a culture in the Valley. Unlike Mumbai or Delhi, where comedy in general; stand-ups and open mics in particular, are part of lifestyle, Barak Valley considers it a ‘time pass’ at best, and ‘mockery’ in worst. And paying to see it, well it’s not even a consideration.

Here we must say, this exuberant, skinny looking boy Hrijoy, definitely has a massive dedication towards the craft, that keeps him going. Not only circumstantial challenges, Das has faced a lot of personal issues too. His family’s financial condition went down just as he passed his school. He saw tough times at an early stage, and gave up on a lot of his wishes to stand by his family. Yet the challenges never deterred him, and he continues to make the world smile, laugh and sometimes roll on the floor, with his on-screen antics.

Here is the story of a rising star, who is smiling through tough times, which even a matured man would easily succumb to:

Edited Excerpts:

How did you get into acting, rap and all other kinds of performing arts?

I was a very mischievous kid, always on the go and quite restless, so my schoolteacher asked my mother to get me enrolled in a theater group, and that’s how it all started.

I would like to capitalise my space here instead of starting from the scratch somewhere else.

You are identified more as Shamol da today, than Hrijoy; how did the online video happen?

After my class 12 exams, I opted to drop a year in order to prepare for various medical entrances. That was a tough time for my family too, as our business was heading to a new low and we were in deep stress. That is when I isolated myself from most of the stuff and preferred to be left alone. I was travelling alone to various places, and I chanced upon an encounter with a dada, who used to mimic a lot. We both started speaking to each other, and sharing ideas and that’s when Shamol da was born.

How old were you then and since you dropped a year to prepare for medical entrances, was it always your ambition to be a doctor?

I was 17-year-old when my first video was published. More than me, my family wanted me to be a doctor. I was a good student all through my school days, and scored good marks. My parents thought I would make a good doctor and that is why I decided to give it a shot, but deep inside, I knew I would not make it to the merit list.

You are now pursuing biotechnology, why did you opt for that?

After I failed to find a seat in any of the medical colleges, I wanted to pursue mass-communication. But in Silchar, we do not have honours courses and I could not afford to go outstation for studies and that is why I decided to opt for biotechnology. I want to be a presenter in life; I love to face the camera and I want to stay in front of it.

You make videos and share them on social media, where people like, share and criticise, how has it been interacting with people?

It has been really encouraging to see so many people reacting to my videos. With the following, there comes the responsibility and I at times feel very scared also. What if I create something they do not like, all of them would hate me. So, I pay extra attention to improvising the content I am creating. About criticism, I would like to say; at times it is good and helps me to improve, while at times it is just done to put you down.

You are a YouTuber, who doesn’t have his own channel; why?

Yes, I had written a song way back, which my friends wanted me to record. While I hesitated initially, after a while, I decided to give it a shot. That is how I got associated with Minimilist studio and since then my videos are uploaded on their channel. And then there is another channel called Sonicspawn Studios.

In Silchar, we don’t have the culture of open mics and stand up comedy, so we hardly get paid for stage shows.

I love to face the camera and I want to stay in front of it

The second season of Shamol da has been launched, what are your expectations from it?

The first series got us immense success and the second season is still catching up. After the first season, we decided to make it in a more professional way. There are more people involved now and that’s where I think we lost our way a bit. Earlier it used to be simpler, and now it’s a little complex. If this season is done and distributed well, it has a lot of opportunity.

The toughest question now, how do you make money from what you do?

 Well, I don’t make any money. I make videos in Sylheti and we don’t get millions of hit on YouTube to get in ad dollars from YouTube. Also in Silchar, we don’t really have the culture of open mics and stand up comedy, so we hardly get paid for stage shows. Monetisation is a big challenge at this stage. Stand up as a culture does not exist here like it does in Mumbai, Delhi or Bangalore, so, only once the culture gets developed, I think we will have money flowing in.

Why don’t you move to any of the established markets where stand up as an industry exist?

I thought about it, but now if I go to Bombay or Delhi I would be one more in the lot and gradually I will climb up to say top 20 or 30. But here I am the leading the space. I would like to capitalise my space here instead of starting from the scratch somewhere else.

How does your parents and family react to your success with your videos?

They are happy till I am passing my examinations. They have made it clear I can do my videos, provided I am not compromising on my studies. They also told me that if I manage to make money by creating videos and make a livelihood out of it they would be happy.

Lastly, from where do you draw your inspiration?

When it comes to stand up comedy, I look up to Zakir Khan. I like the way he performs, his comic timing and all. For rap I follow Devine.