There are instances of TV commercials which have endured the test of time. Some have been influential through a combination of visual appeal and a haunting melody (jingles) & yet there are some ads that have forever changed our perception of products and are considered iconic today. But there’s one commercial made by Coke for Canada which has appealed to my creative tastes ever since I first saw it around 2015-16, and I’m certain it will also resonate with individuals who have chosen to settle elsewhere and miss their loved ones during the festive season.
It’s never futile to embark in decoding the diverse cultures of India, to discover its colourful and vibrant celebratory traditions which are out in full glory during the festivities. The most vivacious of them is Diwali, or famously called the ‘festival of lights’ which starts from today. It’s when neighbourhoods across the subcontinent will light ‘
This Coke Diwali ad featured on the Facebook page of Coca-Cola Canada with the caption “What Makes Diwali in Canada a #HappyDiwali?” capturing the emotional longing of countless people during Diwali and the role Coke plays in bringing lost souls together. The realism in the messaging imagined through a long-distance call in recounting the sentiments of love perfectly drive home the point. Its reproduction in Hindi and Punjabi languages further adds to its mass appeal and the music makes it particularly surrealistic, sincere, and
It has become a routine affair for me and I have sort of given it my full support. I escape from all the cacophony & smoke of Mumbai to my hideout in the tranquil arms of Nasik (pronounced ‘Nashik’ in Marathi). My hideout is an apartment in the outskirts of the pilgrimage city – around 7 kms from the heart – in a secluded sleepy village called Gangapur. It’s a sprawling project called Tulip Eden and the builder told me it has now become known in local circles as ‘Eden Gardens’ (he’s also contemplating changing the name of the project). As long as it has no relation with the sound and spree associated with the cricket ground in Kolkata, I am happy. The only problem that I have found while visiting Nasik is the travelling. It’s difficult to sit on one place for 4 hours and getting sleep is another challenge which I face.
And I finally got my sisters to tie rakhis on saturday..Yippeee! I remember back in the school days, I was the proudest boy with a total of 6 rakhis! And the big show-off that I was, I used to wear them to school the other day ;-) and everyone used to gaze at my small, thin wrist laden with rakhis of all colours and shiny laces. Rakhi used to be a good day when all my sisters would come home and have lunch and of course tie the rakhi. Now things are totally different. While our equation with one of my cousion has gone sour, 2 of my sisters have got married and settled abroad and I have now 3 of them who visited me every year on this auspicious day. The most part of the day was that my most favourite cousin and my friend from Canada called me to wish me on Rakhi day :-)