Mumbai: The popular Korean band, BTS, an abbreviation for 'Bangtan Boys,' which means Bulletproof Boy Scouts, has been winning the hearts of youngsters ever since it first started performing.
When BTS emerged in India, Korean music wasn't a popular pass-time for many Indians. As soon as people, mostly students from school and college, got familiar with their genre, there was no backtracking.
Dhurti Deorukhkar, a final year BMM student from Ramnarain Ruia College of Science and Arts, told Free Press Journal when she discovered the band and how it helped her make friends in college.
"In Sept 2020, I came across the song 'Filter' by the band and started listening to BTS. I would randomly come across reels on Instagram that had BTS in them and spent approximately 4-5 hours a day listening to or watching videos of the band.
Moreover, Dhurti added that she has an Instagram account fully dedicated to the Korean band. It has more than 900 followers who are a part of the BTS fandom or, as they call it, "BTS Army."
"I had trouble making friends in college since 11th. However, in my first year of degree college, a few people from my class approached me because I had 'Pornesian Parrapio' and 'Trusfrated ' as my name and status on Instagram, which can be noticed. These are both things that only BTS fans know," she added.
The BTS band has worked to be a pathway for many great friendships like Dhurti's. Several other students have anecdotes to share when it comes to the band.
"BTS has helped me stay in touch with my friends through our old WhatsApp group we dedicated to the band," said another student, Regha Parameswaran, from Mumbai School of Economics and Public Policy.
Similar to this, Vaishnavi Veeraraghavan also met her 'now best friend through BTS.
"A classmate of mine was secretly following BTS. When she found out that I'm a fan as well, we got so close. Now we are more like sisters. It's going to be a long-lasting friendship," she said.
Many of the youngsters claim to be the most loyal fans of the band. Owing to the pandemic, a band singer, Jungkook is currently said to be positive for Covid.
"I pray for his speedy recovery. Jungcook would pretty much over come anything that's thrown in front of him, and covid is one of them. He has mild symptoms, and he'll be fine real soon. He even came up online and reassured us that he's all good and fine and not to worry much about him," said Regha Parameswaran.
