Captivating and entertaining. Just two of the words to describe creative writer and content creator, Sandhira Chetty.
She is steadily taking over the digital space with her humorous and quirky videos on TikTok (@sandhira_chetty), Instagram (@sandhira) and YouTube (@SandhiraChetty).
Hailing from a town called Port Shepstone on the South Coast, “that girl from the farm” has captured the hearts of netizens while narrating her experiences as she travels and explores KwaZulu-Natal.
Her humour provides comic relief for many following her journey.
We spoke to Chetty about being a content creator and her love for storytelling.
You have an amazing platform. How did you start out?
I first started a YouTube channel while in Korea in 2016 because my best friend forced me to. We were glamping somewhere in the middle of nowhere and we were talking around the fire and she said I'd be good at talking to a camera and, to be honest, she just wasn't taking no for an answer.
At that time, I had a blog where I would write creative short stories based on my true adventures in Korea - people really enjoyed those stories.
But I could see that the world was very quickly turning to video, so I decided to listen to my friend and I filmed a video and posted it to YouTube. And that's how I became a YouTuber.
In March 2024, I decided to finally take the mortifying plunge into short-form content and started a TikTok page.
What inspired you to create your platform?
Well, firstly, it was a fellow content creator who convinced me to start a TikTok page. I was so accustomed to making long-form content on YouTube and for some reason was too scared to try short-form.
I knew I was really good at telling stories in 20-minute segments but how would I tell a story in four minutes.
But everything was fast becoming fast-paced and people no longer had time to watch such long episodes, so I had no choice but to tell my stories in four minutes or less.
Other than that, I just love sharing my small adventures with the world.
I find that the net is now saturated with fake personalities and fake content, so I wanted to bring back that magic that exists in those small, but very real moments.
I wanted people to fall back in love with actual life and not that carefully-curated 'life' that you see online. My number one value is authenticity and I hope that shows in my content.
What are some of the challenges you face as a woman digital creator and how do you overcome these?
My biggest challenge as a female creator is safety. There are so many places I'd love to travel to and share with my audience, but I often can't go to those places alone.
I'm a very independent person and the last thing I want is to constantly worry if it's safe to explore a place by myself and whether I should take someone with me - and preferably that person should be a male.
It's a very imprisoning feeling and it can sometimes hold you back. But what can be done? I won't let that stop me from creating content, so where I can I will travel by myself but where I can't, I will drag someone with me (ha-ha).
In most cases, my two victims are my parents - luckily my audience loves my parents! But I have my suspicions that they are loved more than me ...sigh ...
What is your favourite part about being a lifestyle and travel content creator?
I love that I get to live out my ordinary life and share those simple, magical moments with everyone.
A part of my purpose is to lift the spirits of others and I love that I can achieve that through my videos and storytelling - and the best part is - I don't have to be anyone or anything else but my authentic self to achieve just that.
What inspires or motivates you when you wake up in the morning?
My coffee. It's not safe for others to talk to me before I have my coffee. Oh, and food. Knowing that I have a whole new day of eating ahead of me excites me.
But most importantly, my goals and dreams. I'm a small girl with very big dreams and constantly keeping those goals and dreams in sight gives me that kick out of bed.
What’s your favourite destination?
I'm probably biased in choosing this country because I lived there for almost ten years but I have to go with South Korea.
It changed my life in so many ways. It introduced me to a whole new way of living, brand new perspectives and therefore helped me shed that small-town skin.
I cherished the culturally rich experiences that made up my daily life there, and I made amazing memories with the most interesting people from all walks of life, and, of course, my students to whom I taught English.
But most importantly, Korea helped me grow out of the quiet country mouse that I couldn't shake off at home.
Why should South Africans get out there and travel the country?
Because South Africa is beautiful. I have done a fair amount of travelling and I can safely say that our landscapes are still unbeaten!
Our people are colourful and diverse and have remarkable stories to tell if only we would go out there and listen and learn.
And while you're at it, start a TikTok page and share your relationship with South Africa with the rest of the world - what we discover about our own country can and must be shared with the rest of the world too.
Who do you look up to in your community or working space?
What amazes me about Nadia Jaftha is that, as influential as she is, she still has this amazing ability to remain true to herself; she is relatable and stays current. It's an incredibly difficult thing to achieve and I admire her for that.
Lastly, any pearls of wisdom for young aspiring lifestyle and travel content creators?
Be yourself, stop trying to keep up with the cool kids and just tell your story. Forget the aesthetically pleasing backdrops, forget the fancy drone footage, forget the pretentious camera angles and just tell us your story.