Top Indian Instagrammers Who Are exploring Culture and Identity Through Pictures!

A picture speaks a thousand words but in this case, it speaks more than words. It is a mirror of the society, the pulse of the people and the status quo of the surrounding. Instagram can be a misused tool to represent the perfect life but dig it a little further and you will realise the true meaning of its potential. The platform has moved beyond likes and followers, media partnerships and acquiring the ‘influencer status’. It is true, the world is what you make out of it, and in Instagram too, there are certain artists who treat this platform as a mouthpiece of their work. Not just the arts and music, these artists mirror the zeitgeist of the society, often making a statement through a single post on their social media feed. The subjects are wide and range from sexuality to cultural identity- just one powerful post to capture the essence of the society. Still hard to believe what we are saying?

We are talking about the top five Instagram profiles to follow, who comment on society and navigate culture and identity through their powerful pictures. In a world that is going through a cultural crisis, these posts then come as a breath of fresh hope. Let’s showcase a few Instagram Influencers that you can follow to help to define the cultural fabric of India.

Alok V Menon

Go through any of Alok’s Instagram pictures, none of them is devoid of positivity and self-worth. Apart from being an American performance artist, poet, and LGBTQ rights activist based in New York, Alok identifies himself as gender non conforming writer and transfeminist. He is an Instagram influencer in India whose pictures speak for himself and are a blessing for all those people who need validation for choosing their gender as they like and not which is entirely based on birth. “Until they believed I was real. In this country, and in this world, it’s almost impossible to make it as a transfeminine writer. There are very few people who are paid to do this as their life job, so you have to show people what you look like,” he told in an interview with Juggernaut. It is his free-spiritedness and colourful outfits that will make you sit up and take notice. And obviously, his brave demeanour and witty captions are par excellence.

Hate Copy 

Maria Qamar is an Instagram influencer in India who is not just an artist, she is a desi pop art that depicts the life and times of South Asians living in the west. It is equal part therapy and equal part a sense of belongingness that was never seen before in the 'artist community. “A lot of the work is made in isolation in the feeling of ‘Was I the only one that was going through this?’ And then when the work goes up, you realize it wasn’t just you, we were all going through the same trouble of trying to find people who look like us in media.” she told The National Post. From publishing a book to having her own prints and merchandise for sale, Maria's art is a thoughtful weapon on stereotype laced along with a splash of nostalgia and humour. You will have to go through her Instagram feed to believe us.

Rupi Kaur

Rupi Kaur is another South Asian superstar who has combined poetry and art to showcase feminism. Everyone might know her as the girl who fought all odds to get her 'period stained' picture back on Instagram! From being a strong supporter of feminism to fighting her insecurities through her poems, she is one woman everyone looks up to! Her book Milk And Honey even went on to sell over 2.5 million copies worldwide and was even featured in the New York Times Best Seller List.

Paper Samosa

Paper Samosa is an Instagram handle owned by Simmi Patel. It is a tongue-in-cheek representation of being an Indian, which means being obsessed with a lot of Bollywood, jalebis and much more. Simmi was a successful copywriter abroad and this, then, was her creative outlet for expressing herself. From witty illustrations to pop culture-inspired artworks, her social media feed and a website is a breath of fresh air for anyone who is looking for originality. Not just that, it is a great way of indulging in humour by engaging artworks, which every Indian kid can relate too. You can buy her creations on her website or slide into her DMs to order some, trust us, nothing explains ‘Indianness’ in a quirky manner than Simmi’s artworks! So much so that even Lilly Singh is her loyal customer…. Now need we say more?

You need to see their social media profiles to believe us! Kudos to them!