He’s Korean, but 28-year-old Yechan Charles Lee’s Instagram feed is filled with videos of him speaking or singing songs in Hindi.
Lee, who calls himself an Indian digital creator, has been making social media videos for over a year. He recently went viral on Instagram, when his friend recorded him speaking in an Indian regional accent specific to the state of Bihar.
Indians were surprised at how fluent he sounded and the video got millions of views.
Lee, who currently lives in Iowa, US, told Gulf News that it was an impromptu video that was recorded when he recently visited his friend, Prashant, in Bihar.
“The video was a short clip uploaded on Instagram that was taken from the original footage intended for the vlog on my YouTube Channel. Many people asked if the scenes were scripted, but they were all impromptu. I just met up with a childhood friend who I went to school with and decided to make a vlog out of our casual meet. Since Prashant is also a content creator he was eager for the meet. It was his idea to film our interaction. So in short, a casual hangout with a friend blew up the internet.”
But, how does he speak Hindi so fluently?
“I have a Bihari accent because I grew up in Patna. I spent 20 years living there going to local Indian schools. I went to Patna (the capital city of Bihar) in India with my parents at the age of one (around 1996). Both my parents are Korean, so even though I was born in the US and grew up in India, I think of myself as a Korean, maybe a ‘Bihari Korean’ to be more specific… haha. I learned the language naturally as I interacted with friends from school and people in my locality.”
Speaking about his life in India, he added: “My father first went to Patna to get a Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy) in Public Administration because of which our entire family moved altogether. My mother had a special passion and heart for India which I think was a decisive factor for our family to make the move. I lived mostly in Patna, but I have visited several cities such as New Delhi, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Mussoorie, Dehradun, etc. I have never been to Northeast India (where most people misunderstand me to belong to) or South Indian states.
“Life in India was fun! The best thing about India is, certainly, the warmth of the people. The welcoming nature and the curiosity they have for others. There are sometimes when it gets a little overwhelming but I love the culture. Our family adjusted pretty well. They learnt Hindi and learning the language helped them get along with the culture.
“Of course, the attention I got was intimidating at times, but overall, I learned to overcome the attention and started enjoying them. My favourite food in India is chicken biryani and street food is egg roll,” he added.
At the age of 21, Lee says he moved to the US for education while his parents remained in India, and they continue to live in India.
“I graduated with an undergraduate degree in International Studies from the University of Iowa in 2021, but couldn't see myself working professionally in that field. Hence, I decided to follow my passion for singing and storytelling on YouTube,” explained Lee, who is also currently working as a part-time retail associate at Target in the US.
He started his YouTube and Instagram channels with the handle 40Kahani. The number is pronounced ‘Chaalis’ (similar to Charlie, his nickname). And, the word Kahani, is Hindi for ‘story’.
Lee visits India now and then to meet friends and family. He also collaborates with other international content creators who make videos in Hindi language.
“I never imagined myself giving interviews because of that video, let alone the video going viral. I am grateful for people showing so much love and interest. Going viral has given me confidence that the work I am doing is headed in a positive direction. Although I am receiving a lot of love and support for my ability to speak Hindi, I believe that I have a lot more to offer to my viewers and supporters. So, I just want to say that I am extremely excited for the things to come in the future,” Lee added.
