From Manike Mage Hithe to Bachpan Ka Pyaar: Viral sensations that dominated the web

From a song sung in a classroom of a school in Chhattisgarh to the rhythms of Sri Lanka, diverse trends dominated the cyberspace in 2021. As we get set to bid adieu to 2021, we get you the top five trends of the web.

Manike Mage Hithe

The song is a perfect example of how music knows no boundaries or language. The cover version of song Manike Mage Hithe by Sri Lankan singer Yohani won hearts with its simplicity as well as melodious tunes. Released in May, the song surpassed 91 million views on YouTube within three months. It currently has over 195 million views on YouTube. Even today, social media is flooded by reels, videos as well as different covers of the song. It also got a big push when Amitabh Bachchan, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Madhuri Dixit Nene as well as Parineeti Chopra acknowledged the trend, paving way for Yohani’s career in Bollywood. She is working on several Hindi projects, and has gone on a tour in India as well.

Bachpan Ka Pyaar

Who would have thought that a song sung by a young boy in a classroom of a school in Chhattisgarh will become the talk of the town? That’s what happened in 2021 when Sahdev Dirdo caught on the spiral of fame. As the clip got several spin-offs on social media, celebrities also started noticing it. In fact, rapper Badshah along with singer Aastha Gill collaborated with Dirdo in a remix version of the song, which got five lakh views within minutes. Dirdo went on to make several appearances in reality shows on the small screen. Dirdo is currently recovering from an accident.

Aurora Runaway

It wasn’t just about the song, but also about visuals. The trend was all about posing to get perfect silhouette stills between the video amid the celestial background, on the tunes of song, Runaway – AURORA by Norwegian singer Aurora. The Runaway Aurora song first went viral in 2015, and resurfaced this year. Several celebrities including Ravi Dubey, Divya Agarwal, Vishal Aditya Singh, gave their own spin to the trend.

Touch it

Ghanaian singer KiDi’s latest track, Touch It, touched new heights on social media after its release. From garnering millions of views on TikTok and to taking over Instagram to celebrities grooving on the beats, the trend, high on dance moves, was definitely on everyone’s mind. “I’ve seen the views, the reels and the dance challenges… When I go to sleep at night, I have a wide smile on my face. I may even be smiling in my dreams (laughs). I’m excited and grateful for it,” KiDi told us in an interview in the past.

Paul siblings

The siblings — Kili Paul and his sister Neema Paul — from Tanzania have taken the internet by storm, and continue to rule it. Dressed in traditional Maasai clothing, the TikTok creators found a way to the hearts of all by lip-syncing and grooving to the Bollywood numbers. With over 1.5 million followers on TikTok, the first video to go viral was of them lip-synching Raatan Lambiyan from Shershaah. “Now that I’ve seen where my audience are, where real people and real love are, I’ll bring the best of myself for them. I’ll invest more in India. I’ll try to catch up dance trends, lip-sync songs, (do) comedy. Be ready India, we’re coming,” he told us in an interview earlier.