The second interview we are publishing in this section is of Sanjay Singh Rawat, who runs an amazing YouTube channel Stay Awara which has a subscriber base of 27,500+ already! You have heard of people moving to the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and the Middle East for work or education. Have you ever heard of people moving to Thailand for work? Well, it is rare. This is exactly what Sanjay Rawat did and this is precisely why he is different.
Sanjay is crazy about gaming. His focus was clear right from the time he was a kid when he used to play lots of games. He became a gaming developer and during the course of his corporate career, got an offer from Thailand to work for a gaming company. While in Thailand, he started the YouTube channel ‘Stay Awara’ and has been sharing his journeys of ‘Indian in Thailand’ theme over the past 2+ years.
What makes Sanjay’s life and vlogs more interesting is his partner Demi! She is a Thai girl with roots in China! Interesting, isn’t it?
Also, he also recently did an interesting vlog with Bollywood actor Gajraj Singh where Sanjay is shooting for a movie! Watch here:
Alright, without further ado, here are the excerpts from the interview.
Sanjay Rawat a.k.a. Stay Awara Interview
Q1. Explain to us the reason behind your channel name. Post your marriage, will it be Stay Settled 😛
As a kid, I used to roam around a lot for long hours and was always home late. So my parents gave me that label AWARA, that’s how I came up with this name. Channel’s name is a part of my identity and that’s not gonna change no matter what my relationship status is, the channel’s name will remain the same.
Q2. How did the interest in gaming develop in you?
I have always been a fan of video games and was always curious as to how those awesome games were developed, and here I am now doing one of the coolest jobs. Being part of the gaming industry is like a dream come true.
Q3. If you had just one option between gaming and vlogging, which one would you choose?
I love both, can’t choose.
Q4. How many tattoos do you have? Can you explain to us the significance of each of them?
There are 5. On my neck = strength, on my shoulder = love for gaming as it’s a gaming tattoo, on my forearm (awara), on my left hand = travelling and on my left-hand fingers shows the way I live (wild).
Q5. Who are your role models and what have you learnt from them?
I have none. I learn through experience.
Q6. What would you tell to your 18-year-old self?
Stop being impatient and stop overthinking (and I am still working on it).
Q7. Share three things no one knows about you.
I don’t think there is anything left that my subscribers don’t know about me because if you watch my vlogs you know everything there is to know.
Q8. What was the one moment/incident that gave you a crystal-clear direction of what you want to do in life (be it related to gaming or Vlogging)?
Gaming was something I was into as a kid and so I started working on it out of curiosity and vlogging was a spontaneous decision as entertaining people around me has always been my thing and I like to do that.
Q9. Where does this boldness come from in you?
For me, boldness comes from confidence and I think if you are confident you can achieve anything in this world.
Q10. How do you handle hate comments?
I think it’s just like in video games we play. When you as a player are on the right path you come across many attackers on your way to your mission destination. Same way, I think the hate comments left by some are like those attackers you have to pass through to know that you are on the correct path.
Q11. Before meeting you, what impression did Demi have of India?
Rich in traditions and cultures. Also, she had heard that Indian food is tasty but never got to try that until she met Sanjay. Now butter chicken has become one of her favourites.
Q12. Demi understands most of Hindi but how far do you think she is when it comes to speaking Hindi?
0.0001% 🤣
Q13. You mentioned that you want to travel the world. However, which are the top 5 countries you definitely-definitely want to see?
USA, Japan, Netherlands, South Africa and Greece.
Q14. If you have ₹10 crore bank balance, what would you do with it?
Probably invest in real estate.
Q15. We need you to make one promise to your Bawa gang. What can we as fans expect from you once you cross 500K and 1M subscribers on YouTube or a similar number of followers on Instagram?
From the beginning, I have put the same energy and dedication into the vlogs, even when I had 100 subscribers and that hasn’t changed yet. To date, I make vlogs with the same passion. These things will not change even when I reach a bigger audience, which I can promise. (Maybe with a higher production level)
Q16. Any social media influencers you look up to as inspiration?
Logan Paul, Ashish Vidyarthi
Q17. When are you doing meetups? Considering most of your fans are from India, which city would you choose?
Haven’t decided on when as I have just come back from India. The day I plan to, for sure in Jaipur.
Here is a link to Sanjay’s YouTube, Instagram and Facebook handle again. Do follow, and subscribe to his social media handles for interesting updates.
Let us know who you want us to cover next in this interview series. Write to us at [email protected].