The married 91-year-olds using Instagram to preserve Gujarati culture

BBC News

2 days ago

A couple have become an unlikely hit on Instagram for their efforts to preserve their native Gujarati language.Chandrakant and Sharda Chandarana, both 91, have amassed thousands of followers on the social media platform where videos of their day-to-day life have been watched millions of times.Clips of the couple, from Birstall, Leicestershire, have been posted by their granddaughter - showing them bickering playfully in Gujarati or dancing."We are Gujarati and we must teach our children the Gujarati language and make them proud to become a Gujarati," said Mr Chandarana.
The couple, known as Nini and Nanu, have gained more than 84,000 followers on Instagram after their granddaughter Rupa Nathwani began posting about them.Ms Nathwani said she initially intended only to show the humorous side of their relationship after her grandfather complained about how long her grandmother spent praying in 2024 - but the clip has been viewed 5.1 million times.
The family are now using their online popularity to promote Gujarati language and culture."It was all very spontaneous," Ms Nathwani said."I just happened to be in the room when they were having one of their cute arguments and I just thought 'oh let me just record it, this is just funny'. "And then I uploaded it without thinking about anything and that was eight months ago, so it all happened very quickly, and we're completely overwhelmed with the response."She said she believed fewer and fewer young Gujaratis in Britain were sticking with the language."Whilst I think that English is an important language to know living here, it would be a shame not to pass on something that's so precious as well - which is speaking in your own language," she said.Census figures show there were 213,094 Gujarati speakers in England and Wales in 2011.That number had declined to 189,000 a decade later.
Mr Chandarana said he thought he was "too old" to be on social media.However, he said he was pleased to be able to use his new profile to highlight the importance of his native language.Mrs Chandarana said: "We shouldn't forget our sanskriti, our culture."We are proud to be Gujarati so we teach our children so everybody can be proud."Their granddaughter added: "I think they've got so much charm, vibrancy and personalities for that age, people love them for who they are, and they don't try to be anything else. "Nini's quite devotional, she's quite into her culture."Nanu likes to have a beer and they're both vocal about who they are and I think they're loved for being themselves."Many of the couple's Instagram followers have praised them for helping them reconnect with their roots.One said: "So much to learn from a generation that's almost dismissed."You helps me keep alive the little Gujarati I do understand. We are also learning new words from them."
The couple met for the first time in Uganda in 1956 and were married the year after in a simple and intimate ceremony.They loved watching movies together and going on long drives.In 1971, they moved to London where Mr Chandarana worked in accounts.They relocated to Birstall in 2023 to live with their daughter and grandchildren, and have now been married for 68 years.And their secret to a long-lasting marriage?Mrs Chandarana says "forgive and forget", while Mr Chandarana added: "Love is very important."