Meet the Indian ‘tradwives’ who are clocking millions of views online

A young woman in her pajamas stretches and brushes her teeth. The caption reads: “5.30 am – A morning in the life of a 21 year old married girl.”

Then, changed into a blue and white salwar kurta set, she uses a thick paintbrush to apply bright red sindoor on the parting in her hair before adding a red bindi to her forehead.

She heads to the kitchen, where she washes some utensils, then goes to an altar to pray, her head covered with a dupatta. After a quick shot of her enjoying a tea break alone, she is back in the kitchen, the morning sun lighting up her face as she carefully measures pulses to cook for her family.

The video ends with her pouring cereal into a bowl and eating breakfast in a well-lit room – the overlaid text notes that it is still only 9 am. The soundtrack is a Hindi song from 1966 – Zindagi Khwab Hai, with lyrics that insist, “Life is a dream, there’s no distinction between truth or lies in a dream.”

The Instagram reel uploaded by a user named Tanishkka, who has 28,000 followers, has been viewed more than 12 million times. That figure is 4 million more than the total number...

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