"Internet mein bahot taaqat hoti hai bhaijaan," Nawazuddin Siddiqui's character famously told Salman Khan in 2015's Bajrangi Bhaijaan and perhaps he was right.
Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited (VSNL) brought the World Wide Web to Indian households in 1995 on country's Independence Day and 25 years later, the Internet has become a vital part of our lives.
If you ever wondered, this was the first-ever photo uploaded on a website using the Internet, all the way back in 1992.
And do we have come a long way.
Take the ongoing coronavirus pandemic for instance. As the world stayed confined to their houses, the ability and flexibility to work from home kept certain businesses and companies from collapsing. Friends stayed in touch, lovers got hitched over video calls. The connectivity to the outside world also ensured that you were fed even as you weren't allowed to venture out in lockdown.
The Internet has also paved the path for memes that have, over the years, become a cultural phenomenon to express a lot of feelings with a simple of use photo, gif or a video.
We have put together 25 desi memes that made our online stay even more worthwhile.
1. Bhai Land Kara De
The Internet took flight with Vipin Sahu after his hilarious conversation with his paragliding guide had everyone's attention.
(Strong language ahead. You've been warned!)
*boards flight for the first time* *little turbulence happen* me to pilot: pic.twitter.com/BSJgww9NsZ — capt. (@thephukdi) August 26, 2019
2. Pooja, What is This Behaviour?
You don't tell me what to do! Model Pooja had appeared in Bigg Boss season 5 back in 2011. She was fierce, angry, and animated through the season. Somehow, desis came across her video snippet and rest is history. Also, SPARE ME!
Art.
pooja wildin’ pic.twitter.com/SixSmNUscO — *•.¸♡ ♡¸.•* (@shuauna) June 17, 2019
3. Mature Bag
The Internet unpacked its meme bag and made Vaibhav Vora aka "Mature Bag Guy" an overnight star after he uploaded a TikTok video explaining how to look attractive in college. According to him, one shouldn't carry the same bag they carried to school while in college. They need to opt for a "mature bag" in order to look more attractive.
#maturebag on @amazon pic.twitter.com/LDiMN3eiZJ — 🎮 ᴉuɐɥԀ (@nsptsaiphanitej) July 13, 2019
Dear travellers, please do not forget your bags or other valuables behind. Be careful about your belongings while travelling. #maturebag #SafetyFirst pic.twitter.com/PzElWck0Al — Western Railway (@WesternRly) July 12, 2019
4. Disappointed Fan
A Pakistani fan's reaction to his team's sloppy fielding against Australia in 2019's 50 over Cricket World Cup became Internet's spirit animal.
(•_•) <) )> / \#WeHaveWeWill#CWC19 pic.twitter.com/gkDwE2MMji — ICC (@ICC) June 12, 2019
The cricket fans used his expression to perfection.
*smiles while using mobile* Mom:#CWC19 #PAKvsAUS pic.twitter.com/QIjkwOlji3 — Sana Ali (@Sanayyyyyy) June 13, 2019
5. Hera Pheri
Zor zor se bolke sabko scheme bata de. Priyadarshan's Hera Pheri (2000) and its sequel Phir Hera Pheri 2 (2006) by Neeraj Vora are timeless pieces of art. 'Nuff said.
When I go to a fancy 5 star restaurant and still order Dal Makhni and naan. pic.twitter.com/BAvnNIwos7 — Pakchikpak Raja Babu (@HaramiParindey) October 31, 2018
#13YearsOfPhirHeraPheri This pose has separate fanbase ❤ & this pic literally make me laugh 😂 Iconic comedy film & my most fav one ❤ @akshaykumar plz dont make #PhirHeraPheri 3 coz no one today will match this level comedy & no one will even come close to #NeerajVohra pic.twitter.com/3D93QPlUbP — 🌠 Ra Hul 🌠 (@the_DarKnight98) June 9, 2019
6. PewDiePie vs T-Series
Printers were hacked, billboards were bought, some played 'Bitch Lasagna' on bass guitar for 10 hours, while others didn't shut up about PewDiePie until people subscribed to the Swedish YouTuber. Hell, it even united enemies on YouTube. In the end, T-Series won the race and claimed the top spot.
7. Chai Pi Lo
Garam hai!
Somvati Mahawar, a passionate vlogger on Vigo Video -- an app that lets you create and share short videos across social networking sites, became India's unofficial brand ambassador of chai when her 15-second video urging people to drink tea spread like wildfire on the Internet. Not just chai, Mahawar also offered watermelons, mangoes, and even paneer in her videos.
8. Winking Girl
Priya Prakash Varrier became an overnight Internet star after a clip of her video from Malayalam film Oru Adaar Love's song 'Manikya Malaraya Poovi' was passed around like drugs on social media.
Indian actress Priya Prakash Varrier's wink goes viral in Pakistan as well -- rapidly incorporated into several memes -- a particularly hilarious one this pic.twitter.com/rWrCYA8Bvb — omar r quraishi (@omar_quraishi) February 14, 2018
9. Taimur
Taimur's perfect airport look, Taimur getting a gym membership, Taimur posing for the paparazzi, cute baby Taimur enjoying Christmas, chubby-cheeked Taimur spending quality time with parents, Taimur going to school, Taimur meeting Elon Musk -- in short, Taimur can do anything and photographers are obsessed with him. Not that we are complaining. Kareena Kapoor Khan and Saif Ali Khan's kid Taimur Ali Khan became India's favourite kid in 2018 and his fame hasn't gone to his head.
*Taimur PEES* Media: pic.twitter.com/S3gNiaPwpd — Delhi se Hoon BC 🇮🇳 (@delhichatter) January 31, 2018
taimur paida nahi release hua tha. — capt. (@thephukdi) January 29, 2018
The young Pataudi once again hit the news in 2020 after his parents Kareena Kapoor Khan and Saif Ali Khan announced the addition of new member in the family.
#SaifAliKhan and #KareenaKapoorKhan is expecting second child and Taimur Ali khan will lose the media attention Taimur Ali Khan right now : pic.twitter.com/ucedCmBOEG — Mr. Stark (@Mr_Stark_) August 12, 2020
10. Trivago
Kya aapne kabhi online hotel search kiya hai? This but 200 times a day. The "Trivago guy" was the talk of the town in 2017 thanks to his "un-model-like" appearance and annoyingly-addictive ad that people couldn't stop watching. Abhinav Kumar, Trivago’s country development head (India), is a chill man in real life (@singhabhinav) and he loves all the memes made on him.
Relative: Humlog aa rahe hai tumhare gharpe do hafte ke liye Me: pic.twitter.com/bhY8OquRmG — Akash (@vaderakash) July 15, 2017
11. KBC
"Aap chahe toh quit kar sakte hai", "Aaiye me aapko is khel ke rules samjha du", "Bahut hu umda kheli aap. Taaliyaan bajti rehni chahiye" are a few lines from Amitabh Bachchan's massively popular quiz show that launched a thousand memes ever since Kaun Banega Crorepati returned to television with its 9th installment in 2017.
Me after studying for 33 seconds pic.twitter.com/ndxeGGTSmM — Akash (@vaderakash) October 15, 2017
Abhishek: Papa , What are your views about my acting career? Big B: pic.twitter.com/SoIlFQ7hHA — डी.के. (@itsdhruvism) October 15, 2017
When she rejects you by saying she doesn’t want to be in a relationship rn, and she gets a bf next week. pic.twitter.com/MlmxuZmgul — डी.के. (@itsdhruvism) October 10, 2017
12. Dhinchak Pooja
A young girl by the name 'Dhinchak Pooja' took cringe-pop a few notches up with her first single Swag wali topi that was released on YouTube in June 2016. The rest, as they say, is history. Since then, Pooja has blessed us with many gems and enjoyed immense fame including participating in a Bigg Boss season. Close second are Taher Shah and Vennu Mallesh but Pooja slays.
13. Pizze Burger
Momin caught the cricket world's attention with his comical yet heartbreaking meltdown after his 'unpassionate' Pakistan team let him and lost to India in 2019 Cricket World Cup and let his million countrymen and women down. His "burger pizza" rant on Pakistan team's fitness outside the stadium earned a retweet from none other than BigB himself.
Nailed it @mominsaqib and @Bilalbinsaqib .@azharjavaiduk very good interview. pic.twitter.com/VCVlUMdFpB — Ibrahim Tariq Shafi (@IbrahimTShafi) June 16, 2019
Part 2 pic.twitter.com/EgTsIpkcCX — Sumit (@SumitPurohit) June 17, 2019
14. Nagarpalika
Iss desh mein ho rahe bhattachar ko mitaane ke liye hum aapko aage aana padega. These epic lines by Kanpur based comedian Shahid Alvi who played a news reporter at Ch*tiya News in the video was the only talking point in the Indian community for days and weeks. Again, if you are repulsed by strong language, we advise you to NOT watch the following video.
15. Yeh Bik Gayi Hay Gormint
A video of a Pakistani woman (popularly known as Bh**wi Aunty) going on an abusive rant against the government went insanely viral on the Internet. Starting her answer by saying, "yeh bik gayi hai gormint (this Government has sold out)," the woman goes on to say, "saare milke humko pagal bana rahe hain (these people are driving us crazy)," and the expletives follow. Her video inspired memes, parodies, and even merchandise in India.
16. Sonam Gupta Bewafa Hai
The nostalgia is strong with this one. 10 Rupee note scribbled with 'Sonam Gupta Bewafa Hai (Sonam Gupta is unfaithful)' by an apparent jilted lover had the country in tizzy.
I hate you bewafa sonam pic.twitter.com/jnZIGXI3oW — Funny Deol (@Funny_Deol) January 4, 2016
17. Amitabh Bachchan
Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan loves his social media followers and he isn't subtle about it.
Bachchan, who has had several angry young man moments on Twitter over losing his followers decided to escalate matters and take his obsession offline.
The Bollywood star is pretty much in sync with the Internet culture and regularly uses Twitter and other platforms to share updates about his personal and professional lives with his fans and well-wishers.
But the dry spell in his following list has often left him very, very angry.
T 2599 - TWITTER ..!!!?? you reduced my number of followers .. !!??HAHAHAHAHAHAHA .. !! thats a joke .. time to get off from you .. thank you for the ride .. 😠😠😠 .. there are many 'other' fish in the sea - and a lot more exciting !! pic.twitter.com/85c15pDif4 — Amitabh Bachchan (@SrBachchan) January 31, 2018
T 2793 - Dear Twitter Management , its quite amazing how you manage to keep numbers of followers CONSTANT, & not moving AT ALL despite maximum activity !!👏👏👏👏👏.. well done !! I mean how do you keep the score board from not moving despite every ball being hit for a 6 !! pic.twitter.com/oDZU9xxYAZ — Amitabh Bachchan (@SrBachchan) May 2, 2018
18. Cillian Murphy is Shahid Kapoor
Who would have thought? Internet did. Good folks on the web were convinced that Imtiaz Ali's popular 2007 rom-com Jab We Met starred Kareena Kapoor and Irish actor Cillian Murphy and not Shahid Kapoor as Aditya in the lead.
Murphy, who has given noteworthy performances in gangster series Peaky Blinders and The Dark Knight trilogy made his Bollywood debut with Jab We Met, netizens said with "proof".
Why does Cillian Murphy from Batman look like Jab We Met’s Shahid who is just about to sing “Tum Se Hi”? pic.twitter.com/K7tuteNoR5 — Muhammad Mahroof (@Mahrooof98) July 22, 2020
ADITYA SHELBY FROM JAB WE MET pic.twitter.com/Ubln3TNBqk — Aryan⚡ (@_Maasumladka) July 21, 2020
19. TikTok
The massively popular Chinese app TikTok was banned in 2020 citing security reasons. The app that has been a source of entertainment (and revenue) for many had to shut its shutters along with many apps following the India-China faceoff.
I am happy to close the #TikTok le. Me 😜😁#tiktokban pic.twitter.com/fPp3Ceg7FP — maqsood مقصود علی (@Mesu11895756) June 29, 2020
Government bans #TikTok Pic 1 : CarryMinati and others. Pic 2: Tiktok users and fans. pic.twitter.com/Du9cqdU5cy — ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ (@theesmaarkhan) June 29, 2020
#TikTok banned by central govt Le Memers and Youtubers😪😪 pic.twitter.com/aqqqsqA5RJ — sexysundari👅 (@tweetshivani_) June 29, 2020
The event got so big, Swedish YouTuber PewDiePie reacted to TikTok memes by Indians.
20. X Æ A-12
On May 4, Teslaman Elon Musk along with his partner Grimes and surprised everyone the choice of the name which sounded like a Maths formula--X Æ A-12 Musk.
While unique names are not uncommon, being named what only appears to be a series of numbers and sings left people reacting the only way they can: with memes.
“go to your room” X Æ A-12: pic.twitter.com/8BuGtVhqJ3 — loser ⋆ (@tristehomo) May 6, 2020
X Æ A-12: *Trips and scrapes his elbow* Teacher: Are you okay? Do you need to go to see the nurse? X Æ A-12: pic.twitter.com/dUVqV5QUOb — Gatebreaker (@GatebreakerYT) May 6, 2020
elon and grimes be like X Æ A-12 come downstairs your pb&j is ready pic.twitter.com/RXQ8tQeFr8 — Beans After Dark (@goodbeanalt) May 6, 2020
Eventually, the couple found their way around the California law to retain their baby boy's name on papers. X Æ A-12 Musk became X AE A-XII Musk. The pronunciation remains the same, just that the Roman numerals helped them retain it.
21. Abba Harmonium
Abbey saale. Maaf karna main gusse mein idhar udhar nikal jaata hoon.
"Abba Harmonium" is a brainchild of Pakistan's massively popular satirical show Loose Talk. The funnyman Moeen Akhtar had appeared as a different character in each episode in the entirety of the show written and hosted by Anwer Maqsood.
22. Coffin Dance
Video of Ghana's pallbearers, doing a cheerful dance with the coffin became the meme on the Internet.
The original video shot by BBC back in 2017 shows the ancient tradition of Ghana bidding goodbye to the departed with fervour and joy. Three years later, the pallbearers have become the messengers of bad news (read: death) dancing to the beats of 'Astronomia'.
In fact, when the Supreme Leader of North Korea vanished mysteriously for a few weeks, the pallbearers were summoned.
*#KimJongUn entering in the hospital* Coffin dancer boys: pic.twitter.com/F7l8IHsl1H — Aman (@PareshanLadka) April 26, 2020
Cops back in India, re-enacted the meme to send out the message of risk involved in stepping out during the pandemic.
#Cuddalore Police coffin dance awareness. Our #TamilNadu police rock when it comes to new trends! Amazing 👏👏👏#StayAtHome#StaySafe @PoliceTamilnadu @DadaAwu#Corona #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/c8Yuv59V7j — Apoorva Jayachandran (@Jay_Apoorva18) April 29, 2020
23. Coronavirus Lockdown
Yep, netizens found a way to deal with the ongoing deadly pandemic by easing their worries through memes. Lockdown, which became an essential part of lifestyle for Indians and a necessary step to break the chain of coronavirus, became a topic of heavy discussion on social media. While cops actively spread awareness messages around COVID-19 with memes, Indians, confined to their homes, lifted their spirits by following a similar pattern.
Lockdown 1.0 Lockdown 2.0 Lockdown 3.0 Lockdown 4.0 pic.twitter.com/5ctJerlbbv — Keh Ke Peheno (@coolfunnytshirt) May 17, 2020
Differences b/w #lockdown 1-4. #Lockdown4 #LockdownExtended pic.twitter.com/Bw2imz3Wjn — 💫 (@avi_Ak007) May 17, 2020
#LockdownExtended Lockdown 4.0 !! me and the Bois 😔 pic.twitter.com/PeDuhxfoae — Rizzyy ☄️ (@Reminderiz) May 17, 2020
24. BINOD
Binod. Slayy Point, a famous YouTube channel run by Abhyudaya and Gautami recently went down the rabbit hole that is the Indian comments section in one of their videos and a meme was born.
Both Abhyudaya and Gautami gave us a glimpse of what really goes on in the "filthy" comments section of videos where the commenters leave behind stuff that will have you scratching your heads. From "thoko likes" to penning down out of context poetries, a lot goes on in the comments' world.
Titled "Why Indian Comments Section is Garbage (BINOD)," one of the comments that stood out in their now-viral video was from a certain person Binod Tharu who simply wrote "Binod". Was he marking his territory? Probably.
#binod after writing B I N O D in the comment Le binod: pic.twitter.com/wj6h76iqmO — प्रधान (@black_sparrow12) August 6, 2020
Everyone to #binod:- pic.twitter.com/QBoO5cKkOJ — Paapi Gudiya (@epic_meme00) August 6, 2020
#binod trending on twitter * Binod right now : pic.twitter.com/A2ub6KBokK — Haunted Memer (@HauntedMemer) August 6, 2020
25. 2020
Just like this compilation, 2020 seems to be taking a bit too long to get done. A year that started on a high, went all downhill with the outbreak of coronavirus. Locust attacks, frequent earthquakes, cyclones, floods, Amazon fires; you name it-- 2020 has seen everything.
To the ruiner of all plans, 2020, you did pretty well.
my plans 2020 pic.twitter.com/CQY7njq5Bm — mio (@spdrvrs) May 18, 2020
My plans vs 2020 #myplansvs2020 pic.twitter.com/PZucarItwn — ellie breeze (@_3llz_bellz_) May 19, 2020
My Plans. 2020.#JurassicWorld pic.twitter.com/mjFaM4dpgE — #Beastars ♥️ (VS) #JurassicWorldDominion (@Vincent87411886) May 19, 2020
my plans i hoped for vs 2020 pic.twitter.com/CeLN4jl60T — pancho (@chopsticklick) May 19, 2020
My Plans. 2020 pic.twitter.com/fgk2nn4kBx — Paul Scheer (@paulscheer) May 20, 2020
What were the memes that stayed with you? Tell us.