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75 young cultural ambassadors of India

Gita Hari

Earlier this month, the Ministry of Culture, under the aegis of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav (AKAM), recognised 75 digital content creators. From teenage influencers and entrepreneurs to celebrities were recognised as Cultural Ambassadors of India, for taking Indian heritage to millions of followers. The welcome address by Shri Govind Mohan, Secretary, Ministry of Culture was followed by felicitation of the following 75 influencers.

@aashnahegde (1.1M followers): Fashion influencer Aashna Hegde launched Out Of Stock, an exclusive thrift store, on Instagram. She says that some of the proceeds from the sale of apparel, bags and shoes are donated to animal shelters and welfare organisations that help them.

@aashnamalanii (2M): Delhi-based Aashna Malani is a lifestyle blogger posting on food, travel, beauty, fashion, wellness and technology.

@theabhisheknigam (3.2M): Abhishek Nigam is a television and film actor, who believes that ‘besides gravity, nothing keeps me down’.

@aadilkhan (1.3M): Adil Khan is an actor, content creator, licenced Zumba fitness trainer and fitness blogger. Khan is also a celebrity choreographer who has made dance videos on many Bollywood songs.

@akashdodeja (207K): Akash Dodeja aka Jadoo is an Indian comedy actor, vlogger and a YouTuber.

@theakashthapa (1M): Alash Thapa is a well-known dancer, reality show personality, and internet personality from Dehradun with avid followers for his amazing dance skills.

@akshbaghla (507K): Singer, YouTuber Aksh Baghla does mashups and covers, writes songs, and plays half a dozen instruments. His fanbase includes 1.5M+YouTube subscribers. He loves making Bollywood-American mashup.

@kautuk.girl_alisha (311K): Alisha Shakil Inamdar from Pune/Nashik is a food blogger. Shakil started content creation in 2018, posting photos and reviews on Zomato, Facebook and Instagram.

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@amritaraichand (279K): Amrita Raichand is a celebrity lifestyle chef and TEDx speaker. Her Mummy Ka Magic show on Food Food Channel became an instant hit. Her YouTube channel is Amrita Raichand-Chef and Beyond.

@amulyarattan (4.9M): 18-year-old Amulya Rattan is a digital creator from Chandigarh/Delhi, and a model. Rattan shot to fame with her videos on TikTok. She has also appeared in music videos.

@anamdarbar (2.6M): Anam darbar, daughter of music composer Ismail Darbar, is a dancer and became popular through her dance videos on TikTok. Her followers look forward to her videos for inspiration.

@angryprash (984K): Prashant a.k.a Angry Prash is a YouTube star who primarily posts comic animated content. He has amassed over 5.4 million subscribers on his YouTube channel. Masked behind an animatic headgear, the humorous and quirky content he uploads on the video-sharing platform is a rage amongst youngsters.

@lokhandeankita (4M): Ankita Lokhande is a hugely popular star and rates among the highest paid tv actress. Having won several awards in the Best Actress category, she has amassed many followers.

@anukaragada (398K): Annapurna N Karagada from Bangalore, is a Kannada influencer, a model and content creator. She has a knack for presenting daily life scenarios in minute-long videos.

@antara_nandy (699K): Antara Nandy, singer songwriter musician playback singer with roots in Assam. Her claim to fame is having reached the final rounds as Top three girl finalists in the music talent show Sa Re Ga Ma Pa L’il Champs 2009 on ZEE TV. With quite a number of songs to her credit now, her loyal followers look forward to more.

@anupriyakapur (231K): Anupriya Kapur is an entrepreneur, blogger in the fitness lifestyle travel and relatable fashion space. She chronicles her remarkable journey of postpartum depression, single parenting and blogging with kid and becoming an entrepreneur.

@anushkarathod98 (577K): Anushka Rathod runs a website @kukufm.page where she imparts knowledge and info on investing taxes, budgeting, insurance. With 4000 audio books on the link this digital content creator hails from Surat.

@aparnathomas (589K): Aparna Thomas is a known face among Keralites. A Malayalam film actress, model and anchor, her fan following keep increasing by the day.

@arjunbijlani (7.4M): Every Hindi TV enthusiast knows TV reality show Host and actor Arjun Bijlani. In 2020, he debuted into digital world with the ZEE5 web series State Of Siege and in 2021, the Fear Factor Hindi version Khatron ke Khiladi saw him as the winner.

@arshfam (733K): Arsh a TikTok star from Chandigarh, became famous for his comedy video clips, travel vlogs and photos. People love watching his prank war videos.

@ashi_khanna (1.6M): Ashi Khanna, a content creator from Delhi glided her way through with lip sync and dancing videos. Her OOTDs and short videos are hot favourites all over the internet.

@ashnoorkaur (9.2M): Ashnoor Kaur is a television actor, having started her career as a child actor who grew up to essay memorable roles in several successful serials. Has also dabbled in Hindi films.

@awez_darbar (22.6M): Entertainer Awez Darbar is a Mumbai-based dancer, choreographer, and influencer on social media. He also has the habit of posting snippets of a single story over a period of few days. His most popular content is The Kidnapping and Love Your Country.

@ayushshukl.a (121K): Ayush Shukla, the 22-year-old Odisha guy has come a long way in a short span as an entrepreneur at Finnet Media which is an influencer marketing and creator management agency. He runs a podcast @theminiadulttroubles.

@ektainlove: Ekta Sandhir (2.1M): DecodeDilWithEkta host on Spotify, Sandhir hails from Gujarat. She's been an RJ with Radio Mirchi for the past nine years.

@padmasoorya: Govind Padmasooriya (1.1M): Actor, storyteller. Padmasoorya.com tv presenter, actor in ML and telugu films. Has won Kerala State Awards for Best Anchor.

@harjinderkukreja (2M): Harjinder Singh (harjinderkukreja.com) is a Punjabi restaurateur, philanthropist, traveller and social activist from Ludhiana.

@heli_daruwala (2.2M): dentist, actor, dancer. With the music video ‘LAILA‘ from Tony Kakkar, was instantly hit on YouTube. Heli made her debut in 2020, surpassing more than 2,05 subscribers and 52,96,472 views.

@ishpreet_dang (1.4M): Artist, creator dance lover. Ishpreet Dang is an Indian dancer, choreographer, YouTuber, and vlogger, who is popularly known for co-founding the online dance and fitness venture, “Dancefit Live.” Her dance videos with unique choreography are a huge hit among the Indian audience, which has led Bollywood celebrities to collaborate with.

@itiacharya (423K): An actor in the south film industry, and world peace ambassador Miss South India 2016, she actively participates in social work and campaigns like Beti Padhao Beti Bachao and Women Empowerment and Child Education held by IHRC. She was appointed by Wockhardt Foundation as a World Peace Keeper and a Peace Ambassador.

@jannatzubair29 (43.7M): Jannat Zubair started her career as a child artist, went on become a TikTok star. Has done tv shows including Khatron Ke Khiladi and garners a huge fan following on social media.

@dilsefoodie (1M): Jaspreet Singh Dua, blogger and food explorer from Delhi uploads videos on street food, does food walks, runs a food review YouTube channel.

@jissapaull (610K): Jissa Paul artist from Kolkata, makes short lip syn and dance videos. Popular for her hot and cute looks, this TikTok star and model has hordes of fans.

@josephannamkutty (1M): Joseph K Jose is a writer, an author, vlogger, motivational speaker and a social influencer. He is known for his work 'Buried Thoughts' published by DC Books.

@kabitaskitchen (1M): Pune YouTuber Kabita singh is a chef, food blogger, restaurant consultant and who is popular for demonstrating Indian cuisine recipes on YouTube.

@curly.tales (809K): Kamiya Verma’s YouTube channel Curly Tales needs no introduction among food and travel freaks. She has travelled several countries and indulged in fun activities that her loyal viewers find very interesting and interactive.

@chefkunal (1.7M): Masterchef Judge, restauranteur and author who brings real Indian food to reel has lakhs of fans. Celebrity Chef Kunal Kapur was recognized by the Ministry of India for presenting Satvik cuisines to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and German Chancellor Ms. Merkel, in Bangalore.

@mr.mnv (1.8M): Manav Chhabra is a celebrated actor, model, and content creator from Ropar, Punjab. Manav uploads Vlogs and Dance videos on his Youtube channel and has also worked on many musical videos.

@meghnasfoodmagic (1.6M): Meghna Kamdar is a banker turned baker and YouTuber. She has won laurels like Top 75 Ambassador, India, Forbes India Top 100 Digital Star, Living Foodz Epicurean Guild Award as Food Instagrammer of the Year. She launched a new channel, Meghna’s Food Magic, in Tamil for viewers from the South.

@mira.kapoor (3.8M): Mira Shahid Kapoor is an advocate of Ayurveda and a wellness enthusiast who promotes the benefits of leading a life of healthy habits to the lakhs of her followers.

@msk_s199 (431K): MSK Mohammed Salim Khan is a video creator, has been conferred with Vlogger of The Year 2020 StreamConAsia, is a TEDx Speaker and has received media visibility as an influencer and travel vlogger.

@nagmamirajkar (6.6M): Nagma posts on dance, fashion, makeup, travel, lifestyle with more than 6 million followers which shows how our youngsters are crazy to know about these stuff.

@iamnehanagar (1.1M): Neha Nagar, ex wealth manager with IIFL, creates videos to make you financially literate. CEO and Founder of Taxationhelp – a tech driven platform that offers services covering the legal needs of start-ups is quite popular among the literates.

@nibedita (752K): Nibeditaa Paal – actor, model, social media influencer, took part in Indian dating reality show Splitsvilla and managed to garner followers.

@nikhilvijayendrasimha (283K): Nikhil Simha , a digital creator from Hyderabad, has a Youtube channel Kaasko which made videos with celebs on various concepts. He then set up his own production house and also participated in Bigg Boss Telugu Digital Series called Bigg Boss Non-Stop.

@nikitasharma_official (6.4M): Nikita Sharma a microbiologist, motivational speaker, Tedx speaker, Founder Good deed Saturday, recipient of Midday India Best Travel Influencer 21-22. talks about women's rights, body positivity, how to cope with failure, how to recover from a massive injury and much more.

@missnisharawal (1M): Nisha Rawal is an actor, model whose initiative The Motherhood Chronicles after she became a mother, is a digital platform where a panel gets together to make and share the experience of parenting a smooth experience and talk on topics like gender neutral parenting, assisted reproduction, baby proofing and more.

@pranavchandranofficial (305K): Pranavv chandran Kodoor Musician a Playback Singer and YouTube Sensation. Sang for Marvel's Avenger Infinity War title track (Hindi Dubbed Version)- Aa Dekhe Zara. He is a musical artist who started his journey with cover songs and then gave his own original tracks.

@premvats (1.6M): Nothing garners fans like entertainment and Prem Kumar is a YouTuber who has seen success as a dancer and lipsync artist. Youtube Prem Vats has 1.16M subscribers.

@purabibhargava_13 (3M): Purabi Bhargava is an actor, model, known for lip-sync and dance videos on social media platforms. From her 3 million supporters, it is not difficult to gauge how crazy Indian social media addicts are, for dance videos.

@rajshamani (1.1M): Raj Shamani is an Entrepreneurship Podcaster, entrepreneur, a keynote speaker, an early-stage start-up investor, and a social media influencer, he has delivered around 200+ speeches across 26 countries including organizations like Jaguar, Land Rover, TCS, Reliance and Forbes and is among India’s favourite motivational speakers.

@rashmichadha (160K): Rashmi Chadha, a traveller, entrepreneur, TEDx speaker is a Founder of Wovoyage – a women friendly travel company – has been successful with her venture of a one-stop travel platform for women travellers globally.

@ravidubey (3.5M): Ravi Dubey - an actor, producer, reality show participant, TV presenter, is a popular celebrity social media personality.

@richi.shah (1.5M): Richi Shah happens to be a content creator on travel and lifestyle. As a model and fitness trainer, her gym sessions have reaped in a huge fanbase.

@roshniwalia (1.5M): Roshni Walia entered TV as a child actor. Known for “Tara From Satara”, Zero KMS and Bharat Ka Veer Putra- Maharana Pratap, this teen has quite a number of admirers in the social media world.

@ruheedosani (1.1M): Ruhee Dosani is a digital content creator who believes in creating content that is the opposite of viral. She is fond of creating content through her surroundings and Bollywood inspires her to create more. She says she don’t post so that it goes viral, but only for people to enjoy and bring a smile on their lips.

@surabhi.samriddhi (10.6M): Samriddhi and Surabhi, popularly known as Chinki Minki, have entertained on Kapil Sharma Show. These twins have managed to entertain lakhs of fans with their ‘Meri toh Twin hai, iska pata nahi’ kind of dialogues.

@sanayapithawala (1.3M): Sanaya P model and actress. She is best known for her role of Siyali Rajput in MTV's Warrior High (2015)[1] and Aditi Ranaut in Hindi web series The Great Indian Dysfunctional Family (2018).[2] Her upcoming project with ALTBalaji is Dil Hi Toh Hai season 2. Recently she was seen opposite anshuman malhotra in Voot's Fuh Se Fnatasy.

@saranshgoila (637K): Co-founder of @goilabutterchicken and @bambaimealrolls, and author of food travelogue ‘India on my Platter’, Saransh Goila was a guest judge from India on Masterchef Australia where contestants were asked to prepare his version of butter chicken. He has been the host of TV Show 'Roti Rasta aur India' and 'Healthy Fridge' on the Food Food channel.

@financewithsharan (1.7M): Sharan B. Hegde garnered followers as an angel investor, management consultant.

@masterchefshiprakhanna (4.4M): Masterchef India Winner Shipra Khanna is a cookbook author, TV show host/producer, food consultant and content creator on the digital space. Her fetching looks and easy way of explaining recipes has brought in lakhs of followers.

@marketing shivanshu (1.2M): Shivanshu Aggarwal is a video creator who uploads reels on business and marketing. He was #11 in Forbes India Top 100 Digital Stars.

@thesiddharthnigam (10.6M): Siddharth Nigam is a TV and film actor who shot to fame essaying the young Maurya prince Ashoka on TV. He has also acted in 'Dhoom 3', 'Aladdin' and he is currently seen as Shivaay in Sony SAB’s 'Hero-Gayaab Mode On'.

@sunayanaf (798K): Actor Sunayana Fozdar is a social media influencer, and a wanderer. She has won hearts for her role as Anjali Bhabhi in the popular tv show Tarak Mehta ka Oolta Chashma.

@ssunnychoppra (1.9M): Sunny C is a Haryanvi, Mumba-basedi content creator @creator21.official. He previously uploaded videos, reels, and lip-sync videos on Tiktok, which have made him a recognizable celebrity on social media with nearly 2 million followers.

@tanzeel_khan03 (873K): Tanzeel is a YouTuber famous for his vlogs and music videos. His most popular music video “Dilli Ki Ladki” has been viewed by over 13 million people.

@bombaysunshine (719K): Teejay Sidhu - tv host, traveller award winning mom blogger has a YouTube channel by her name where she uploads her travel and other experiences with her actor husband Karanvir Bohra.

@tejasdhoke11 (525K): Nasik-based Tejas Dhoke is an artist with 3.2M subscribers to his video YouTube channel Dancefit Live. He has collaborated with many Bollywood stars like Sara Ali Khan, Urvashi Rautela, Rakul Preet Singh, Nora Fatehi, Neha Kakkar, Mauni Roy, and many more on his YouTube channel.

@unnati_m (893K): Unnati is into fashion, dance content creator at nofilter.group. She used to work on Tiktok as well as uploads Vlogs and Dance videos on his Youtube channel. Along with this, she has also got a chance to work on many music videos and also makes videos with other Social Media Influencers.

@coachsapna (1.6M): Vyas Sapna Jaynarayan is a Health Coach and Cultural Brand ambassador of India, Forbes Top Content Creator 2022. She is a part of American Council as exercise-weight management specialist.

@zaid_darbar (3.5M): Zaid Darbar is an actor, dancer, social media influencer. Along with his celebrity wife Gauhar Khan, he has been posting dance videos on social media to grab eyeballs.

@shanvisri (1.3M): Shambhavi Srisvatsava, an actress from the South filmdom of kannada, Ttelugu and Malayalam seems to have done well for herself with enormous fan following.

@thetwoinoneguyreels (957K): Satyajit Majumdar says he is on a mission to build an empire. His reels on Food, Fashion, Lifestyle and Travel are quite popular among foodies and travel freaks.

@sankett25 (919K): Sanket Mehta is an artist, fashion, dance content creator with a notable amount of supporters to entertain the audience in the digital space.

@theorangeepistles (653K): Sayan Bakshi’s content on Instagram covers quite a few areas like fashion, lifestyle, grooming, travel and entertainment.