Until last year, Dhruv Rathee was content being an “educator” on YouTube, sharing videos on a variety of subjects that served as “explainers that inspire”. Then came an episode that Rathee, much like the Supreme Court of India, saw as a “murder of democracy”. It was the widely-circulated video clip of Anil Masih, returning officer for the January 30 Chandigarh mayoral poll, defacing eight ballot papers, resulting in the win of the BJP candidate over his AAP counterpart. Since then, the 29-year-old engineering postgraduate’s team, comprising 10-15 researchers and editors, has been rigorously scouring articles and videos for credible data and help Rathee prepare a script that can serve as “explainers that alarm”.
