Ageless Admiration for BTS : From Loneliness to Loveliness

Suman’s love for BTS knows no age. At the age of 51, she’s a wife, a mother of two young men, and a homemaker who has found a new sense of purpose and connection through the K-pop sensation.

On a typical Wednesday afternoon, Suman can be found sitting cross-legged on her couch, scrolling through short videos on YouTube with a wide smile on her face. As she watches funny videos of BTS, her eyes light up with delight, especially when she comes across V’s videos. “Such a cutie, isn’t he?” she says with a chuckle, her wrinkled face creasing into a warm smile.

Her lonely day usually begins with an alarm ringtone of a BTS Dynamite song, then instantly rushes to the kitchen to make food for her husband, 59, a hospital ward member and son, ‘Om’, 24, who works as a manager in a hotel, near Moshi. She says her oldest son works in a bank and stays with his wife and son at another place.

After her husband and son leave for work, she stays at home alone with Jimmy and Pari, her pet dogs. Though they are like her kids, she feels lonely at home, unless all her work’s done and she awaits for her favourite part of the day, watching BTS videos.

Suman’s journey as an Army member began unexpectedly in the 2022 lockdown. COVID-19 positive and going through the 14-day curfew on a hospital bed, she was feeling bored and lonely. That’s when she stumbled upon a BTS concert video; watching seven people dance energetically in her lethargic phase fueled her, too. That’s how she started watching them more and sparked her interest.

As she delved deeper into the world of BTS, Suman discovered a sense of connection with the younger generation.

“Watching and admiring the same thing as the youth makes me understand their emotions and dynamics and empathize with their struggles; this lets me bridge the generational gaps between us”, she says.

When asked about how others react to her fandom, she shrugs it off and reveals that some think it’s crazy, as she’s too old to be a fan. While some think of her as a cool lady. However, she believes it's just a matter of interest, perspective, and mindset.

“If you like something, admire, appreciate, and promote it, nonetheless, If you don’t like something, just let it be; you don’t need to make comments on that, right?”, she advises with a gentle smile.

For Suman, being an ARMY is more than comforting songs, funny moments, and an escape from loneliness; it’s about love, acceptance, embracing her passion, and admiring the beauty of living.

Suman has been through several tests of life - got married at a young age, lost parents, interfamily conflicts, and many more. Back in 2022, her husband was in an accident and was admitted to the hospital for months. He could not work, so no income, though money was still crucial. Hence, she started a stall, selling Pav-bhaji, Vada-pav, and Poha in the early morning, to make money. Then late in the evening, she’d visit her husband, and stay there the whole night to take care of him.

Most importantly, Suman and her family were on the urge of death due to COVID-19, but they went through everything, with optimism, courage, and hope. They find happiness in where they are today. As Suman says, if you let life get harder, then it will.

Suman is a wife, a mother, a sister, and a friend, but above all the odds, she’s a human with her own interests, perspective, passion, purpose, and tons of choices.

“I am a human with emotions who dared to fall in love with what I want, regardless of the societal stereotypes and expectations, to find the beauty of living. And so can the others!”

In Suman’s story we find a beautiful reminder that age is just a number and passion knows no boundaries.

Written by Amisha Mahato

Amisha wrote this article as a participant of the Media-Makers Fellowship's May'25 cohort.