India – To honour the Durga Puja celebration, which is an annual Hindu festival in India celebrated from 1 to 5 October, The Times of India (TOI), an Indian English-language daily newspaper under The Times Group, has launched a new campaign called ‘Maa Aashcen. Tumi Kothaye?’, which in English translates to ‘Maa Durga is coming home, where are you?’. This aims to celebrate togetherness and connection between loved ones during the festival.
Conceptualised by creative agency Wunderman Thompson India, the campaign showcases the feeling of belonging, togetherness, and reaching out to dear ones, who can’t be with their families this year during the festival. Loved ones will urge those separated to continue with the celebrations wherever they are. The idea is to remind them that they are with their families during this festive period and that is the real essence of Durga Puja.
The print campaign brings this alive by showcasing visuals of two friends connecting through a symbol of joining their hands to form a heart, while the video campaign is a tale of two friends, who now live in two different cities – Mumbai and Kolkata. The film also features actress Priyanka Sarkar and dancer, actress Sreenanda Shankar as friends who share their story of separation and how Durga Puja unites them.
Additionally, in an endeavour to connect with readers to celebrate with missed loved ones, TOI has invited them to share the pictures on www.phireyeshokolkata.com. Hundreds of entries from Kolkatans and Bengalis across the cities have been received. Select quotes have been featured in the newspaper.
Kaustuv Chatterjee, brand director of TOI and Languages, said, “TOI, India’s most trusted news brand, has always celebrated the incredibly rich socio-cultural fabric of our country. Durga Puja is one of the largest festivals in the nation, in which people from all sections and communities participate and come together, not just Bengalis, to seek Durga Ma’s blessings.”
