Bloodywood
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Our next song - we need your opinions
🕑 Added 2018-09-02 18:55:16 +0000 UTCBackstory:
A couple of weeks ago I had called the local carpenter, Kamal, to fix a rocky table. Kamal, a slender, shot-heighted man in his 30s, is soft spoken, well mannered and generally punctual - which is why I prefer employing his services over the housing society's designated carpenter. Born in an impoverished home, he's educated till the western equivalent of the 5th grade and had to drop out to support his family (a very common fate amongst families engaged in manual labour in India). Very recently, he and his wife had their first child. He earns $15 on good days.
In his last visit he excitedly told me while pointing to his phone screen that he had seen me on YouTube. In all honesty, I was surprised that he even knew what YouTube was. But what he said next was something that, in a positive way, left me speechless for a few seconds. Here's a rough english translation:
"Bhaiya (big brother), I want to make videos showing how to fix household items. I have heard people make money on YouTube. Can you tell me if it is possible?"
Here's a guy in his thirties with no degree/employable education, supporting a wife and a newborn on an excruciatingly thin income, YET discovering an opportunity that he was least likely to understand and raring to pounce on it.
When we started Bloodywood, EVERYONE dismissed the idea. EVERYONE claimed it would not be enough. EVERYONE was sure we would fail. Mind you, these include my peers from law school, my colleagues at the firm I worked for, fellow musicians, erstwhile bandmates - all of them very tech-savvy and aware of the modern world. Earn off the internet? Get a real job.
And here's this guy - destined by birth to live in the bowels of poverty, YET willing to fight out of it by embracing the power of something that levels the playing field. The power of something that is unaffected by privilege. The power of the biggest, yet most undervalued opportunity of our time. The power of the internet.
What we're planning:
Kamal's story (which is still in the making) is unique, but far from uncommon. We've all been at a point where we've been dealt a bad hand, something that was not a result of our choices or actions - yet managed to come out victorious. Our next song will be a dedication to the spirit of fighting and overcoming unfair and unfortunate circumstances that life throws at us.
Of course, just singing about it isn't enough. Here's our proposal:
Let's provide the most underprivileged with the power of the internet. We plan to get in touch with any orphanage nearby and provide them with computers and internet connectivity so that the children residing there have a better opportunity at shaping their destiny, and get exposed to the most powerful tool of our times that may help them in this endeavor.
We want to know:
1. What do you think of this idea? Yay or nay? (a substantial portion of what you give us on Patreon will go into making this happen)
2. What obstacles/hurdles (that were not a result of your choices/actions) were you faced with and how did you overcome them? Anything big/small counts! This is gonna help us write a better song.
(P.S. - Extra points if any answer to the second question involves the internet :D I'm a huge promoter of the internet's power. Everything I know that is useful for me was taught to me by the internet [playing guitar, music production, how to not be an asshole all the time etc.]
Tons of love,
Karan and Jayant
Comments
Jeremy Duke
Yay! When you guys have some time to revisit this it would be great. Happy to contribute. Also any clue how Kamal is doing?
alicia
This was quite some time ago, where are these plans at now? I want to be involved!
