'Age is just a number': Meet 44-year-old mother, who earns Rs 1.50L from online gaming

Jammu: A 44-year-old woman took up online gaming during COVID-19 after being introduced to the virtual world by her son.

Beginning with the Candy Crush game, Reetu Salathia, a Jammu-based homemaker, now earns Rs 1.50 lakh a year by streaming games online.

Known as "Blackbird" in the gaming community, Salathia boasts close to four lakh followers on Rooter, a gaming platform. While she has been passionate about video games since her childhood, she has now taken gaming seriously and looks at it as a means to be independent.

"I am not highly educated. I have passed Class 12. I loved gaming. From the beginning, I wanted to earn for myself. When my son told (taught) me about live streaming (of games), I started to do it. I am also earning for myself," said Reetu Salathia.

A room dedicated to Gaming

Looking at her passion, the Salathias dedicated one room in the family home in Jammu's Netrikoti area for her gaming activities.

Having started with "Candy Crush", Salathia slowly progressed to "Battlegrounds Mobile India". She tries one and all the games that her partners insist on playing.

"I started with 'Candy Crush'. Then I started online gaming and learnt it by continuously playing the games. I can play any game," she said. While Salathia is known by her "Blackbird" handle in the gaming community, her partners -- most of whom are children -- call her "Muma".

"The biggest compliment for me was that children asked me whether they could call me 'mother'. It was an emotional moment for me," she said.

Salathia, who has since launched her gaming channel on YouTube, said her family supported her throughout. "The reaction of my family was very positive. I am very happy to play with youngsters," she said.

A surprise to her children

Her son Gaurav Singh was surprised by her mother's work. They never thought she would get much love from the people.

Balancing all her work, Salathia finds time to play for 3-4 hours every day and earns more than Rs 1.50 lakh per year.

"She manages it perfectly. She dedicates time at home, to the dogs and the family, and also to the game. She manages it perfectly," said Divyanshi, a relative of Salathia.

Her husband Ajeet Singh Salathia who supports her said, "Gaurav was playing first. He taught her. Now, she left him behind by having nearly four lakh followers."

Inputs from PTI