Video: Why this 'Unmute' message to Modi has gone viral

From election campaigning to forming the government is a long drawn process – many months have passed since the madness of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections began. Voting season saw politicians and people, both, take to the media in big numbers. Among the many citizen journalism YouTube videos made, ‘Mute’ by Ram Subramanian stood out – a chilling appeal to the Indian voter to do their part and vote. It was even reposted by Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party. The video went viral and Ram soon became a mini YouTube celebrity.  Basking in his newly gained popularity, Subramanian produced a second video – ‘Unmute’. This time, it was an appeal to the newly elected Indian government. “I have so many things to say,” the video begins, “(I will) begin with the most important. Congratulations on being our leader,” it says. Modi-victory acknowledged, Subramaniam goes on to become a “collective voice of this country”. He was a man, a woman, a minority all at once as he begged the Modi-government not to forget the people now that they had been elected. A plea and a prayer to safeguard our future, the video definitely isn’t ‘mute’ anymore. Subramanian’s ‘Unmute’ is from everybody –  all of us. It is a public request, to the new government, to live up to the hype it has created and not to disappoint the scores of voters it has managed to woo. A very vocal public message, sent directly to Modi, the video managed to generate a lot of online interest. While a number of people were taken by the message, some commentors on YouTube felt that this was just another attention seeking stunt by a media house. Either way, it generated the buzz it wanted. Whether or not the message reached Modi, it did reach a lot of people – through Facebook and Twitter, the video message managed to accumulate close to 668,583 views on YouTube. Maybe Modi will never watch the video, maybe he will. Whether the message from the Maharashtrian farmer, or the criminal who deserved a better past, or even the government official, reach Modi or not, they have managed to raise a “collective voice”. A collective oath to “never neglect the country” has been taken. The video, aimed directly at the newly elected Modi government, has also managed to gain likes, which are still steadily increasing. They now stand at 5,454 likes for the ‘Unmute’ video. “I believe one man can do a lot,” said the video. Indeed, he can. Hopefully, he will.