By nika “I wasn’t born to blend in… I was born to be remembered.”
Let me take you back. Not just a few months or weeks ago. I’m talking about years. Years before the Strawhat Hackers were born. Back when I was just a 10th-grade student – wide-eyed, full of dreams, and trying to figure out who I really was. But if I’m being honest, this journey didn’t start in 10th. It started way earlier.
Back in 8th standard, I took my first real shot at something different. I launched my first YouTube channel. It was simple, mostly knowledge sharing videos. But deep inside, I had a different dream… a louder one. I wanted to tell horror stories in Malayalam on YouTube.
You see, I was inspired by creators like Beypore Sulthan, whose content gave me goosebumps and made me believe I could do the same. But dreams don’t always align with reality. I didn’t have fancy equipment, no studio setup, and frankly, I didn’t want to burden my parents with a request for something that big.
So, I kept going with what I had just me, my house as the background, and a phone camera. But every time I watched those videos, something felt off. The quality wasn’t what I imagined. The surroundings caused distractions. It wasn’t what I had pictured in my head. And to make it worse, school was hard, ICSE and the syllabus was so tough and bookish, it felt tough because of how bookish it was. During exam seasons, I had to put content creation on pause. That pause grew longer… until it became permanent.
You might be wondering….why horror? Why not continue improving what I already had?
The answer is simple: I loved it.
Back in 4th and 5th grade, I had this little habit. I used to gather my classmates during breaks and narrate spooky stories, most of which I picked from Churulazhiyatha Rahasyangal in Balarama magazine. The thrill, the fear in their eyes, the laughter afterward , I lived for that. It wasn’t just a hobby. It was a passion. A piece of who I was.
I understood that, at that point in my life, I wasn’t yet capable of bringing my dream to life. But one thing I did have was clarity, I wanted to be someone. I wanted to be recognized. I wanted to stand out.
That dream didn’t die. It just went dormant.
And now, I say this not as a maybe, but as a promise:
Yes, I will be a YouTuber.
-NIKA