Draft:Mitanshu Kawlekar

Mitanshu Kawlekar (born 3 March 1999) is an Indian social media influencer, best known as the co-founder of Maiche Kazar, an Instagram meme account. He was featured in Goan Insider 's list of the 50 Most Influential People of 2021. Maiche Kazar (lit. 'Mother's Wedding') is the first Goan meme page on the social media platform Instagram. Initially created in 2017 by Kawlekar and Eeshan Keni, an engineering student to share viral WhatsApp videos and memes, the page grew under the helm of Kawlekar. Starting in 2020, he began promoting fellow Goan independent artists, later venturing into raising awareness on the same social media platform that covered a wide range of matters, including information about missing persons, blood donation requests, fundraisers, beach clean-ups etc. In 2022, Kawlekar began sharing daily news on the Maiche Kazar page via Instagram Stories. As of 2022, it is the first Goan Instagram account with over 50,000 followers. As of March 2024, he is one of only 30 social media influencers who have been selected by the Government of Goa for the positive promotion of the state and its schemes and policies.

Early life
Mitanshu Kawlekar was born on 3 March 1999. As of 2022, he is a final year Electronics and Telecommunications Engineering student at Goa Engineering College at Farmagudi, Goa.

Career
In March 2017, Maiche Kazar was founded by Eeshan Keni, an engineering student at Don Bosco College, and Kawlekar. Keni mentioned that their initial progress was gradual, requiring nearly a year to amass 1,000 followers. Although Maiche Kazar also maintains a presence on Twitter, it is Instagram where they primarily engage. According to Keni, Instagram is the favored platform among today's young generation and sees significant utilization.

During the early stages of Maiche Kazar, Kawlekar and Keni pursued a different direction for the platform. Originally, it served as a medium for sharing viral WhatsApp videos rather than operating as a meme page. However, as time progressed, they made the decision to transform Maiche Kazar into a meme page, generating their own content.

Both Kawlekar and Keni actively engaged in meme creation, utilizing a variety of photos as source material. Crafting memes in the form of videos demanded additional effort in terms of editing. While the majority of memes featured on the page were self-produced, occasional contributions from others were also accepted, provided the content remained closely tied to Goan culture. To enhance relatability, the creators employed a straightforward language style, occasionally incorporating Konkani phrases within their memes.

Kawlekar chose a widely recognized Konkiani expression for the Instagram handle, aligning its abbreviation with his initials. As of 2022, Kawlekar operates the page together with two co-admins: Aryavrat Malhotra, a Journalism and Mass Communication student at Don Bosco Panaji, and Nishad Hegde Desai, a BA LL.B student of Kare College.

In March 2020, Kawlekar introduced a new concept to Maiche Kazar by venturing into the realm of Instagram Live. Teaming up with Sainath Uskaikar's short films and Aryavrat Malhotra, they unveiled a platform called MK Lockdown Live. The inaugural set of sessions took place from 27 March to 31 March, with daily broadcasts at 8 p.m on the Instagram page. These sessions showcased a lineup of local independent musicians, comedians, and performance artists, including Amit, also known as Waking Grunt, a rapper and singer. Stand-up comedians Kartik Redkar and Noah Martins, playback singer Akash Mangueshkar, and independent musician Sharlaine Menezes were also part of the lineup. The content garnered a total of 10,000 views.

Kawlekar and his team are known for their inclusive approach to online content, which extends beyond the realm of memes. They actively share information about individuals in distress, contributing to raising awareness and facilitating prompt action. Their efforts cover a wide range of urgent matters, including providing information about missing persons, urgent blood donation requests, fundraising for orphanages, assistance during natural disasters like floods, initiatives to locate missing pets, organizing beach cleanup activities, promoting animal adoption, and addressing other pressing issues that require immediate attention.

In 2022, a project called 'Khuti Chau' was launched on Maiche Kazar by Kawlekar. The main objective of this initiative was to provide daily news highlights to the community via Instagram Stories. Particularly during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kawlekar and his team went beyond reporting news and extended assistance to individuals affected by the virus and their families. They facilitated access to essential resources such as hospital beds, nourishment, and vital supplies. To expand their influence and connect with a wider audience, they formed partnerships with influential social media pages and well-known personalities on the platform. Through these collaborations, they were able to extend their reach and engage with a larger user community.

In March 2024, Kawlekar was chosen as one of 30 social media influencers to significantly contribute to increasing public engagement and awareness of several government schemes, policies, and programs. This effort was led by the Department of Information and Publicity of Government of Goa, with the Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG) being tasked with managing the involvement of these influencers. The primary objective of this endeavor was to harness the influential power of social media personalities in order to effectively communicate information about government initiatives to the wider public. By leveraging the expansive reach and impact of these influencers' social media platforms, the aim was to maximize public awareness of government schemes, policies, and programs, as well as to enlighten individuals about the government's ongoing developmental efforts across various sectors for the betterment of society. Additionally, it was anticipated that the influencers would utilize their social media handles to highlight the tangible benefits accessible under these schemes, thus further promoting the welfare of the general populace.

Personal views
In May 2022, Kawlekar discussed the incident of ragging that took place at Goa Medical College, involving four medical students. He expressed his strong disapproval of any form of violent ragging, including both physical and psychological abuse. Kawlekar emphasized the importance of distinguishing between harmless teasing and harassment. He pointed out that such acts can have a traumatic impact on sensitive students, while others may not be affected to the same degree. Despite efforts made by educational institutions to address the issue, Kawlekar expressed doubts about the complete eradication of ragging, irrespective of the institution's reputation. Additionally, Kawlekar observed that the majority of perpetrators tend to come from privileged backgrounds, while the victims often belong to less privileged groups. Factors such as caste, social status, and income frequently play a significant role in these incidents.