Her hilarious take on the day-to-day lives of Indians has made her one of the country’s top YouTubers. But Anisha Dixit aka Rickshawali often slips in thought-provoking messages about the struggles that girls face into her reels. These have bagged her a huge female following, as well as a chance to participate in a discussion on women’s empowerment with Barack Obama at a Google conference. Dixit who is mom to a two-month-old baby boy and a six-year-old Beagle spoke to Neha Bhayana about why raising a pet is easier than parenting a child and more

The first year with babies is an endless feed-burp-change-sleep repeat cycle. How are you holding up?

Baby Neo is two and a half months old now… wow, time is passing by so quickly! It feels like just a blink of an eye. He’ll be turning 18 years old, going to college and then paying taxes (and hating it ) before I even realise it. I swear, I just had him yesterday... someone please slow down time!

Honestly, life couldn’t be better! I have no idea why people complain about the newborn phase, I’m having the most amazing time of my life. Okay, that’s a lie. Life is complete chaos. I don’t know if it’s day or night, I can’t remember the last time I slept for four hours straight without waking up to feed the baby, and at this point, being a zombie is my new personality. Somebody help! Just kidding… but like, 20% kidding. Motherhood is definitely not easy. I wish someone had handed me the fine print before I signed up like, ‘Warning: May cause extreme sleep deprivation and sudden crying (yours, not just the baby’s)’. But Neo is the cutest baby ever, and just one of his little smiles makes it all worth it. I’m taking it one day at a time, still figuring out how to juggle motherhood and work, and trust me, it’s not easy. But hey, at least I get paid in baby giggles and spit-up!

You have been sharing your pregnancy experiences with your followers. Any plans to become a momfluencer and share parenting tips too?

It’s actually funny how women are pushed into becoming a ‘momfluencer’ when they become moms, but the term ‘dadfluencer’ does not apply to men with kids. I am excited to add a new layer of being a mom into my content, but I’ll continue to strive to make the most relatable, funny, engaging content. I am working on something really exciting which I will be sharing soon. But in the meanwhile, you’ll see more of my ‘Only girls will understand’ videos than my ‘I just spent 30 minutes getting the baby to sleep, and now I have to start over because someone rang the doorbell’ ones.

Raising a child or making people laugh — which one is tougher?

There is no or, only and! Raising a child is like cooking a dish without a recipe. You’re guessing, adjusting, and hoping it turns out right. Now, throw in an audience that may not even appreciate the effort, and you’re also trying to make people laugh. It’s like serving up a meal and hoping someone doesn’t push it away with a ‘meh, not funny.’

Your content is funny, but you also talk about the struggles that women face. What inspired you to tackle women’s safety and rights in your posts?

From the time I started my YouTube channel 11 years ago, my main focus has always been to empower women. Making people laugh while conveying a message for women felt important to me because, let’s face it, the internet was pretty much dominated by male opinions. We needed female voices out there to inspire more women to come online, speak up, and help balance out the world wide web. Thankfully, today there are so many amazing female creators, and I couldn’t be happier. Looks like my goal wasn’t just a 'maybe-one-day’ dream, it was a success.

It is believed that we need to raise our boys right to make the world a safer place for girls. As a boy mom, how do you plan to raise your son to be a ‘good’ man who respects women and treats them as equals?

1000%! What children learn at home is what shapes how they’ll respect and treat women in the future. It all starts with how parents treat and love each other: how the father treats and understands the mother, how the mother treats and understands the father, and what values they teach their child. The home is the first place where kids not only learn but also observe their parents. That’s how they’ll treat not just women, but people in general. Honestly, I think before any couple decides to have children, they should first work on themselves and on their understanding of each other, because bringing a child into your life should be the result of being the best version of yourselves first so you can teach the same to your child after.

Has your experience as a pet parent helped you look after your son?

My husband Caleb would definitely disagree here (he’s probably rolling his eyes right now), but I totally believe that having a pet taught us to share responsibilities and care for someone other than ourselves. Of course, a pet is way easier to take care of than a child (I can confirm this now, no doubt), but it does give you a glimpse of the first step. Because when a child comes along, it multiplies by 1000%, so you’d better be ready as a couple to take on this responsibility. Trust me, it’s like training for India’s Got Talent Parenting Edition, except instead of being judged on your talent, you’ll be judged on how quickly you can change a diaper in under 30 seconds while holding a baby that won’t stop crying.

Your maternity photo shoot which showed you standing in front of a fire, flaunting your bump, with a song about goddess Durga playing in the background was both loved and hated. Did the trolling bother you?

There will always be a divided group of people, no matter what you do. Maa Durga fought fiercely for righteousness over nine days, just as a mother nurtures life for nine months. Just as Durga’s fire burns away darkness, a mother’s love brings light and life into this world. For me, it was really important to empower every mother by representing Maa Durga, showing how motherhood is not only about nurturing, but also about strength, resilience, and the fierce power that comes with it.

Over the years, you have gracefully dealt with haters by creating a ‘love punch’, but trolling can cause a lot of mental agony to some. Today’s parents need to teach their kids to stay safe online and deal with haters. What lessons will you teach your son based on your experience?

I think teaching kids to stay safe online and deal with trolling will come later, but yes, it’s definitely more important than ever before. Personally, I won’t be teaching my son specific lessons per se. Instead, I want to raise him in a way that encourages him to always try his best in whatever he does in life but never obsess over the result. It’s the process that matters, so enjoy the ride, because life’s a journey, not a Netflix series where you skip to the good parts!

There are many parenting styles these days — helicopter, tiger, panda, jellyfish, lighthouse, free-range and so on. Which style do you plan to follow?

These style names make it sound like we are raising an animal rather than a human (laughs). But in all seriousness, there’s no specific style we’re planning to follow. The only thing that’s extremely important to us is to raise him in a kind and gentle way, while empowering him to solve his own problems instead of pushing our ways onto him. Of course, we’ll always be there to guide him and help him, but we want him to be more independent and nurture him rather than imposing anything on him. So, basically, we are aiming for parenting with love.

You were born and raised in Germany. Parents there are known to follow free-range parenting which fosters early independence in kids. Do you plan to follow this ideology?

I’ll just try to raise my son with good manners, an inquisitive mind, and love in his heart for everyone. I think we can all agree that teaching a child to be kind and grateful is a universal parenting style, whether you’re in Germany, India, or even on Mars.

Dads try to be more involved these days. Are they passing the test?

(laughs) I don’t know about others, but my husband Caleb definitely is (he’s paying me to say this). Frankly, it is so important in today’s world that husbands get involved, if not equally, at least to a certain extent. Gone are the days when raising a child was only a mom’s job. A dad is equally important and, in fact, brings the family closer together. It’s also a huge reason why the mother doesn’t feel too alienated when she becomes a mom, because life already turns 180 degrees, and having your husband help and be supportive makes the whole process a bit more enjoyable. But on a side note, if your husband is around, that also means you’re technically raising two children instead of one (laughs loudly). Please don’t take me too seriously.

Most women are scared to work out during pregnancy. You’ve posted videos that show you expertly lifting heavy weights even with a big bump. Tell us about your pregnancy fitness routine.

Honestly, I also used to think that working out during pregnancy was risky because you always hear people saying you shouldn’t do much while pregnant. But I’ve always been a fitness freak, and I wanted to stay active so I could have a smooth delivery. I found an amazing pregnancy trainer who helped me break so many myths about pregnancy workouts. She pushed me hard, and I truly believe she was one of the reasons I had a smooth, complication-free delivery. She had me doing almost 100-300 squats every day in different variations, lifting heavy weights, and even running up and down five floors of a building. It was intense, but I loved every bit of it. Of course, my doctor had given me the go-ahead for this routine. You shouldn’t just jump into it unless your doctor approves. Every pregnancy is different, and I was lucky enough to be able to handle this high-intensity workout… though I think Neo was probably in there wondering if he signed up for an action movie (laughs)!

"I wish someone had warned me that motherhood may cause sleep deprivation and sudden crying (yours, not just the baby’s)"

"I am still figuring out how to juggle motherhood and work, and trust me, it’s not easy. But I get paid in baby giggles and spit-up!"