Ripon Mia: From ‘cringe’ to winning hearts with rural simplicity

Ripon Mia, a carpenter from Netrakona, appeared in a Facebook video with a serious expression, addressing HSC students who had been protesting for an auto pass last year. It was a time of turmoil following Sheikh Hasina's ouster, with people flooding the streets with all sorts of unusual demands.

"Those who don't want to sit for the HSC exam but want to learn a trade, come to me with a saw, chisel and hammer. I will teach you skills so you can earn Tk500 a day and be settled for life."

It made good sense, considering the irrational demands from the HSC candidates that the government ultimately conceded to in order to avoid further chaos.

This Ripon Mia has been making a lot of sense over the past few months.

His videos, featuring him working as a carpenter in the summer heat, wandering aimlessly, cycling to work, cooking meals or humorously pretending to read English newspapers, have captured the attention of netizens across Bangladesh.

There is no glamour or 'special effects' to attract an audience, yet Ripon's reels and videos have garnered over 20 million views in the past two months alone, amassing more than a million followers on social media. 

His fanbase continues to grow.

Why? Many on social media have shared their answers.

One user, Umed Ibneemostafa, captured the sentiment in a post, "Sometimes, it feels like life would be better if it were as simple as Ripon Mia's! I want to go to Chattogram, visit a tea stall for a cup of tea, grab a meal and return to Muktagacha — just doing exactly what I want! There's no glamour in his life, yet it feels like the kind of life we all secretly wish for. He lives on his terms and does whatever he likes!"

The comment was liked by about 40,000 users.

The rural simplicity of Ripon's life, which netizens have fallen in love with, actually has a long-standing presence on social media, manifesting in various shades and forms.

Part of Ripon Mia's story is rooted in his teenage years, where he turned his heartbreak over a girl into creative expression, producing what many would call 'cringe videos'. 

Despite his initial virtual popularity, he struggled to capitalise on it, returning to life as a regular  carpenter. Over time, however, he made a strong comeback, emerging as a popular rural content creator among the urban middle class.

Throughout this journey, Ripon Mia has reshaped his persona and outlook on life. His honesty in striving to improve himself is evident.

How did it all start?

A man from an underprivileged background, Ripon was unable to continue his studies beyond the third grade. As a teenager in 2016, he experienced a breakup.

"Many people die after losing love and do strange things. I didn't do that. I started making videos," Ripon Mia told The Business Standard.

His content mostly consisted of a rhymed poetic line or two, though he had never practiced poetry before.

His first video roughly translates as a call to his beloved, saying, "Call me when you are alone, we will talk the entire night." It ends with his signature laughter and the catchphrase, "I love you."

It was part of his way of processing the melancholy caused by his breakup.

But his haiku-like line went viral, prompting him to create more such two-liners.

"I would start with 'Hi friends, I am Ripon Video,' and then come up with a rhyme, like 'If you are a bird, I will be a nest, crowds will gather to see our love,'" Ripon said.

If you look closely, you might still find some unpalatable, even vulgar haikus or lines in a few of his old videos. However, Ripon has changed for the better into a more mature person, drawing more views.

'A dilapidated house where dogs pass through'

The other content creators of this period, like Hero Alam, Apu Bhai and Prince Mamun, seemed to have made real money out of their fame.

However, unlike them, Ripon struggled to cash in on his viral content. His channels, one after another, were hacked. By 2019, Ripon had almost given up on making videos. He was working full-time as a carpenter, with poverty his constant companion.

"I didn't even have a phone to make videos with at one point," Ripon said.

"People made so much money with my content, but I couldn't make any at all. I still live in a dilapidated house where dogs pass through," he added.

In the later stage, Ripon met a media manager who helped him get back on his feet. They now run his social media platforms on a 50-50 profit-sharing basis.

"Ripon Bhai is a very simple man. People approached him, spoke with him, and somehow hacked his pages with millions of followers," the manager and partner, who wishes to remain anonymous, told TBS.

Ripon 2.0 

You will find fewer romantic rhymes in his latest content. 

Now, he works, eats and travels just as he is, hardly pretending to be anything he's not. And he works as a full-time carpenter and makes videos about it.

"I am working in the heat. Those who are educated but can't find jobs, contact me. I will teach you the trade, and you will earn Tk500-Tk600 a day," Ripon says in one of his Facebook reels, always ending with his trademark laughter and the new signature, "This is real."

In another video, he is seen cooking in the extreme heat. "Our sisters and mothers cook under such hardship, but we don't want to understand their struggles," he says in his rural dialect, urging men to recognise women's daily challenges.

In one of his videos, he advocates for the benefits of cycling and campaigns against dowry, all while sitting on a motorcycle with a funny-looking pair of glasses.

That doesn't mean he has completely abandoned rhyming. "From the start of that sky, and the flower of the garden, it is a mistake to fall in love with a girl from your neighbourhood," he says in one of his videos.

And if you pay attention, you might still come across one or two slightly cheeky or nearly vulgar two-liners on his current channels, like "Happy Independence Day to everyone and 'I love you' to you."

But one thing is clear — he is transforming fast.

Ripon Mia is streamlining his content to align more with the news cycle, a shift he credits to his partner and manager. 

For example, when PSC driver Abed Ali's illegal wealth was making headlines in June, Ripon created a two-liner, "I want to be a driver like Abed Ali, but the driver of your mind." When a Muslim cleric went viral for using the term "message drop" in a strange manner, Ripon jumped on the trend with, "Want to drop a message in the morning — I love you," followed by his signature laughter.

Ripon Mia runs several pages and channels on social media, including the Khadok Ripon page on Facebook, alongside his main Ripon Mia page. He has amassed over a million followers on platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram.

But it is only recently that Ripon and his manager are making money off his social media presence after resolving issues barring Ripon from monetising his channels. 

While fame and a little money are starting to flow in for Ripon, he remains grounded in his identity as a simple village carpenter. "We are village people; we can't remain without work," he said.

Ripon lives simply and travels wherever he pleases, embracing the authenticity of his village roots. In his videos, he candidly shares moments like marvelling at tall buildings, expressing awe as if seeing city skyscrapers for the first time. This down-to-earth, rustic vibe continues to resonate with his audience.