Togbog - Creating a positive image for Bangladesh

Launched on May 14, 2017 by a group of seven school friends -- Borshon Rahman, Ishmam Anan, Khaled Hossain, Samin Haque, Shadman Zuhayar Haider, Nayeem Anwar Mullick, Tanzim Uddin and Tawsif Akkas -- Togbog was been determined to spread positivity and love among people. At a time when Bangladesh was viewed as an epicentre of problems, the young hopefuls stepped into the scenario to enlighten people about the rich cultural heritage and glory of Bangladesh. Be it the lesser-known facts, an unexplored destination or the Bangladeshis who make us proud, Togbog ensures it can serve fresh content to thousands of its viewers every single day.

 In a recent conversation with the team, they revealed that the Facebook page, which boasts around 150 thousand followers, was crafted after planning for two months. "We were very unsure about the response and consoled each other for the worst. We did not expect that people would love to see positive things gain a spotlight on social media," said Tanzim about their first video entitled '8 lesser known facts about Dhaka' on 26 May 2017. On being asked about the choice of location, he said that Dhaka was dissatisfying to people, as they were restricted to only thinking about the negative aspects – long hours of traffic, ever-increasing population and air pollution. It was, therefore, a small attempt to make them realise that the city has myriad of other things worth complimenting.



To their surprise, this video went viral in one night and their budding page had already gained popularity. "This was huge for us, as we were encouraged, and started working selflessly for the page," added Samin. Slowly they started dwelving into all genres, and kept posting regularly. "We always try to deliver meaningful stories which are significant to us," said Tanzim while discussing about how they choose their stories. Talking about the challenges, the team regards time difference across the continents to be their major obstacle currently. Since the team is small, regular meetings occur at strange times and they have to juggle work and studies at the same time.

Togbog is also active on Instagram, where they have dedicated the platform to showcase artwork created in Bangladesh. Over 627 photographs have been published taken from various Bangladeshi photographers, while the paintings are added in story highlights. In the coming years, they plan to expand over more forms of social media. They further intend to create Togbog-exclusive content for their Youtube channel, comprising of documentaries and interviews.

 With ever-increasing popularity, the young crew dreams of turning Togbog into a full-fledged media company. "The key lesson is that all of us believed in learning knew that if our intention is right, we shall be able to connect with others" added Nayeem. As a message to the readers, the team urge everyone to 'keep Togbogging', and stay supportive, just like they have always been.