WhatsApp Messenger is a phenomenon. What is now almost universally known by its abbreviated name – WhatsApp – started off as a simple data messenger conceived and launched by Brian Acton and Jan Koum in 2009. Facebook acquired the app in 2014. Within a decade of its launch, WhatsApp, with its messaging and calling (both voice and video now) capabilities over internet, has gained widespread acceptance across the world, including in India. Of the 2 billion users worldwide, there are an estimated 400 million WhatsApp users in India, which constitutes 20% of all its users. China has banned this app. Indians, among other nationalities, have taken to WhatsApp like the proverbial fish to water. The proliferation of the smartphone has revolutionised the way the world lives, reads, views, talks, messages and forwards bits of information in multi-media. Social media (WhatsApp, Twitter, Facebook etc.) has invaded our lives like never before. With one of the cheapest data rates across the globe, India was always well poised to go for a communication boom even as smartphones replaced the older cell phones. WhatsApp could not have timed its India entry better.

A popular feature of WhatsApp is the formation of independent groups of users, where each message posted can be read by all members of the group – an electronic bulletin board. In India, WhatsApp groups are usually formed at the drop of a hat, and can encompass the whole spectrum of subjects. An individual can be a member of multiple groups. For example, after my superannuation, with more time on my hands, I am now member of WhatsApp groups as diverse as that of retired railway officers, college batch, engineering college batch, school alumni, family (four separate groups) and a condominium association. Previously, I was a member of more groups. However, daily message traffic in all groups was humongous, so I eased myself out of some of the heavy traffic groups, and am happier for it..

There is little doubt that WhatsApp has changed the way Indians live, eat, think and communicate. Can a WhatsApp user’s profile be fleshed out from the way the person communicates on this app? To be fair to Indians, bulk of the traffic that emanates on WhatsApp, apart from audio and video calls, consists of forwarded messages, which can be news snippets, jokes, greetings and myriad other subjects in the form of text, pictures or video. Original content is by and large limited to responding in one-liners or through what are called emojis and other pictures. But if one carefully analyses the trends of all messages sent or forwarded by an individual, some shape of a person’s identity can be worked out.

The experience of the last few years, and an extensive analysis of the message traffic in my groups has helped me to flesh out some stereotypes that inhabit the WhatsApp universe in India. The list is not exhaustive, and you are free to add to it. As my readership is largely Indian, I have taken the liberty of using many Hindi names too. For ease of writing and reading, I am using the pronoun ‘he’ (as also him, his), instead of repeating ‘he or she’ (or her, hers); it is merely to simplify reading, and is not intended as an accent on a particular gender.

Rustom-e-Hind: Describes the king or queen of each group. This individual dominates bulk of the traffic, is a champion message forwarder, and spends most of his living hours merely transferring messages from one group to another. This behaviour is characterised by minimal original content emanating from him. The Rustom-e-Hind of each group can be seen contributing a third or more of the WhatsApp feed in the group. Each group will have at least one champion, if not more. His ultimate high, perhaps, is to retain his crown and not allow any other member to out-forward him. Hail the king!

Gutter-masti: He can sometimes be another variation of Rustom-e-Hind or even an original. He is the blind forwarder, who hears or sees no evil. And claims to speak no evil. A typical disclaimer from such a Gutter-masti goes something like this:

“I generally ‘forward’ messages I receive from friends like you. In turn I forward them to friends like you. In instances when you don’t like or disagree with a message, please delete it. Please don’t ask me about its authenticity, question its validity, source, etc.”

Or maybe like this:

“If you insist on my verifying each message, I would rather not forward anything from now on.”

Statements like these smack of high insensitivity. I cannot think of worse social media behaviour. Unfortunately, this is the norm in many groups. Today, a pre-teen child can very easily forward any WhatsApp message with a flick of his fingers on a smart phone. For a literate adult to childishly forward anything that catches his fancy, without ascertaining its authenticity, or judging its social impact, is beyond comprehension. A sensitivity towards other members of the group is desirable, which sadly seems lacking in such ‘junk monks’. This situation is the pits, as in gutter bottom, apart from being a supreme folly. However, it is difficult to say if the recent assault on a retired Services officer by street goons of a political party in Western India will dampen the spirits of the Gutter-masti types.

Joy Shree Naam: He is the religious pundit who aggressively propagates his own religion and often spreads hate against other religions. He follows the precept of ‘better hate than never’. He will forward anything that glorifies his own religion. He has little time to check authenticity of the religious messages that he posts, and often ends up posting fake messages generated by organised religious haters. He believes in “bhakti-shakti”. In a similar vein, he will happily tar other religious communities. He tries to find a religious angle to every newsworthy item.

Hindi Chini Why Why: The propagator of this philosophy believes in forwarding funny ‘TikTok’ videos in Chinese language, no matter that you cannot figure out what is being said. The only saving grace may be the action or music in such Chinese language videos, which might make its content discernible to mere mortals like me. And maybe provoke an iota of a smile. This category of creators and forwarders is in a phase of long-term mourning, what with the Government of India banning many of the Chinese apps that provide a perfect platform for short, one-minute funnies.

Sanskari Sarkari: The ultimate, retired bureaucrat who delights in posting any Government notification at the drop of a hat, indifferent to its relevance to a majority of the group members. He fervently hopes that his initiative will generate a storm of a discussion, but more often than not, a few inane comments later, the missive goes to the trash bin in every phone. Not even a storm in a tea cup.

Bar Bar Decko: He is the archetype of the enthusiastic forwarder, who always hopes to be the first one to forward a message to a group, and earn some brownie points. He finds himself surprised when he finds that another member had beaten him to it by posting it about nine-and-a-half minutes earlier. Reading the existing messages is obviously not his forte, and he never feels any pangs of regret at the obvious redundancy that makes him look like an utter fool, and waits to deliver another duplicate on another day. Be patient while you wait for the ‘eager beaver’ to strike again. After all, it is nothing but a ‘dolt from the blue’.

Sa-Re-Ga-Ma-ster: He is a self-proclaimed music connoisseur. His forte is forwarding music videos from YouTube and like channels. Depending upon his mood while forwarding, he may condescend to post a comment or two, explaining why he had chosen to forward the particular number. Also, with the free availability of karaoke software for smartphones, lately we have thousands of wannabe Asha Bhonsles and Kishore Kumars singing their hearts out and regaling WhatsApp listeners.

Comedy King: He is the ‘jolly good fellow’ who forwards jokes, cartoon strips, pocket cartoons and humorous videos. This is a relative low popularity as a stand-alone category, so many WhatsApp users combine this role with their other more significant avatars. But then, a journey of a thousand ‘smiles’ always begins with a single joke.

Free Shree: An ignorant forwarder of fake messages. Such forwards will usually advise you, in good faith, to visit a web site and perform an action, say press an affirmative button. Purportedly, if one performs this onerous physical task, one will be instantly rewarded with a coupon for a gift hamper of Cadbury’s milk chocolates or a set of two medium pizzas from an American pizza chain in a sleepy Gurgaon mall. Nothing warms the cockles of my heart more than a free gift hamper from Cadbury’s. I am already salivating!

Good (Morning) Samaritan: A pro-genitor of feel-good messages, every day he faithfully sends you ‘Good Morning’ messages crafted in various curly, flowing fonts over a scenic background of a rising sun, a still lake, blue sea or snow-clad mountains. He is a well meaning guy whose sole aim is to wish you well with some spectacular landscapes and pithy sayings. Some of these Good (Morning) Samaritans are fond of flowers, so the recipients get a new floral bunch every morning. But remember, there is no such thing as a ‘free bunch’. So, be prepared to get many more floral missives and festive greetings as the festival season approaches.

Goal Mole Troll: This is a category of users created and perfected by Indian political parties as social media trolls. The ‘Goal Mole Troll’ will usually push the political parties’ agenda by generating and exponentially proliferating WhatsApp forwards to the electorate. The messages may be attacking some leaders personally or the stated policies of an opposing political entity. The WhatsApp campaigning may also harp upon purported achievements of an incumbent government. Trolling and paid messages may contain truths, half-truths, or white lies. But many a time, the gullible public swallows the troll feed as gospel truth. In a rare instance, WhatsApp was forced to reduce the number of permitted forwards during the last general elections in India to prevent widespread misuse of the app. The ‘Gole Mole Troll’ gets paid for his efforts and in the process, the political parties gain votes, often at the expense of truth and a few million rupees. Is it proper to let lying dogs lie? You decide.

Chuppa Rustam: This is a category of members that can also be described as ‘lurkers’. They are usually sleeping-members, whose contribution to the WhatsApp group is zero in terms of posts made. Whether they even read or just trash all group feed is difficult to guess. Practically incognito, they forget that ‘a journey of a thousand smiles begins with a single post’.

Tailpiece:

The proliferation of WhatsApp groups has also given a creative edge to the group names which can be really funny. Some of the actual group names I have come across are the following:

• 7 Yaar aur Nilons achaar: Group name of female members of a joint family.
• Hostel k Bartan-chor: Such hostel students who depend wholly on utensils of mess to facilitate their night cravings for Maggi and tea.
• TARGET Maa Baap ki Bigadi Santaan (MBBS): A group of students coaching for medical entrance examinations.
• Bichhde Huye Langotiya Yaar: School friends group.
• Aao Behno Chugli Karein : It’s name sums up what it’s meant to do.
• Family ho Toh Aisi : Be warned.
• None of your Business : None of my business.
• Let’s Utilise Precious Time: An oxymoron for the quintessential WhatsApp user

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