Online Show - Chai with Lakshmi
By Suneetha

Bangalore based Lakshmi Rebecca has numerous avatars - Researcher for Discovery and BBC, Model (Finalist at Get Gorgeous TV show), Trainer, Marketer, Lecturer and so on. But her current avatar as the Hostess of online chat show called ‘Chai With Lakshmi’ is the one in the limelight and has created a buzz online. She calls it ‘India’s most contemporary Online Infotainment Show’.

Lakshmi Rebecca brings you a totally impromptu and unscripted video chat in the line of what she calls Urban Conversations classified under Inspirations, Wellbeing, Creativity, Society, Home & Garden, Skin & Style, and Business and so on. The conversations are no-fuss, no-melodrama and the content is free, and something you can access “on mobiles, desktops, tablets, palmtops, laptops, smart TVs and any other device that can get you online and facilitate  streaming”. And the infotainment is all “with ordinary people having extraordinary pursuits, experts and smart thinkers”.

Techgoss spoke to Lakshmi Rebecca and here is our conversation.

Techgoss (TG): Tell us about the person that is Lakshmi Rebecca…What did Lakshmi Rebecca do before Chai with Lakshmi, what else does she do now?
Lakshmi Rebecca (LR): There’s currently no better way of describing her than saying that she’s a geek trapped in a sexy body. She has recently discovered what really makes her tick: film production and entrepreneurship.

Lakshmi Rebecca started working at the age of 18. The first four years of her working life were dedicated to voluntary work; the next three to research for documentary films for Discovery, Channel 4 and the BBC. Around this time she stumbled into modeling and made the horrible mistake of becoming a finalist on Channel V’s Get Gorgeous 1. A couple of years into modeling, she realized she couldn’t be a model alone: the geek inside her was desperate to speak out. Therefore, in wondering what next she took an education break getting an MSc in International Marketing from Sheffield Business School and an ACIM qualification. Her love for research continued, albeit in a new form. She was researching for the business school and for small and medium sized Yorkshire businesses.  Whilst working at Sheffield Business School, she also taught marketing. Post coming back to India in mid-2009, she toyed with Consulting before Chai with Lakshmi happened.

TG: What is she when she’s not working long hours with or without make-up?
LR: She’s an erstwhile motor biker, holiday lover, over-a-cup-of-chai muser, cook, adoring girlfriend and more. As of next week, just to stretch her working hours and put her discipline to the test, she starts teaching part-time at Christ University on their MBA course.

TG: How did the concept of Chai with Lakshmi fall into place? Did she consider other forms of Digital Publishing? Why did she choose this?
LR: The concept of Chai with Lakshmi fell into place over a period of a few months during which many discussions were had with friends and acquaintances. The idea originated from the need to create a few videos that would showcase Lakshmi’s presentation skills since she was beginning to host events more frequently than in the past. (She hosts corporate as well as private events.)

So, a ‘few videos’, possibly with entrepreneurs (since that fit-in with her Consulting efforts as well) was where the idea began. Then it became videos about inspiring people and then it took a much more dynamic shape with lessons being drawn from Oprah after friends told her not to be shy about being THE face on camera. The aim now is to have a successful video blog that will make her a notable personal brand.

No, she did not consider other forms of digital publishing apart from a written blog. But video is so interesting; she finds there is no going back!

TG: How is CWL connected to past experiences?
LR: Chai with Lakshmi offers Lakshmi an avenue to amalgamate her diverse work experiences: social research, modeling and marketing. She loves people and new experiences, and Chai with Lakshmi offers just this almost every other day.

TG: How has CWL been received by the public, the media?
LR: Well, we think. Lakshmi’s got nearly a thousand followers between her and CWL social media accounts. If viewer feedback on these mediums is anything to go by – when the production quality is good and the presentation is decent, people love it. The media: this is the third press query in two months with no effort from CWL team to reach out in any form. And this internet show is less than two months old and hasn’t spent a dime on marketing (of course it will, sometime in the future).

TG: What has been the pattern of traffic? Is there any section of society which most forms your audience? Like techies?
LR: Traffic pattern: Mondays and Thursdays seem to draw a lot of hits. Weekends are when the traffic is lowest. A certain proportion of video viewing happens on the Chai with Lakshmi YouTube channel too.

The target audience was set as 25 to 45 year old urban Indians at the ideation stage and looks like this was spot on given the audience the show is engaging.

Techies: yes, yes! Bring them on! Where would we be without them!

TG: What is the traffic boost you get when a prominent newspaper like Bangalore Mirror profiles you?
LR: We are not sure that Bangalore Mirror actually gave us a measurable traffic boost over a short period of time. What it really did is reinforce loyalty with anyone who was already a viewer and introduce us to a lot of potential new viewers. Bangalore Mirror is not an online article with a link so it’s hard to measure direct clicks / click-throughs. We’ve had a lot of people talking about the article in known circles and that is greatly needed and appreciated.

TG: Any plans for diversification? Anything new on the anvil?
LR: We are looking into a couple of new episode categories: one being sponsored episodes (where businesses pay to be featured) and two being a category on Indian entrepreneurs and businesses.

TG: Anything more you would like to share?
LR: If we got the funding, not only would we aim to make the Chai with Lakshmi show big, but also work on a dynamic Online Channel (i.e., like a TV Channel). Know anyone who’s got the money and the balls? ;)

Lakshmi Rebecca’s Facebook page urges you to watch the episodes on ‘the blind digital strategist’ which is fast reaching 1000 views. There are other interesting episodes waiting too, like why Second hand things are second to none and the one on co-founder of a new open source and parallel education system.

Log on to the Chai with Lakshmi website to know more