Ushering In A Smoke-free Diwali
Every year on Diwali scores of new ads on family reunion and celebrations hit the screen. A new theme that has gained popularity in the recent years is green Diwali. At one with this trend, Radio City recently launched an initiative to highlight the importance of smoke-free celebration titled ‘Radio City ke patake : Is Diwali, khushiyan hogi, dhua nahi’.
As part of the initiative, it has released an ad film, titled ‘Patakhon ka Aurangzeb’, which has been created by Scarecrow Communications. Inspired by Malgudi Days, the film shows a few kids celebrating Diwali by turning on a radio instead of bursting crackers.
Kartik Kalla, executive vice-president and national head of Programming, Marketing and AudaCITY, Radio City 91.1 FM says, “Through ‘Radio City ke patake’, we want to educate people to look beyond crackers this festive season and inculcate the culture of a safe, and pollution-free Diwali.”
Supporting the initiative is also a crowd-funding campaign by Radio City called ‘Diwali Ek Rupaye Wali’, in association with NGO Ketto. It urges every Mumbai resident to contribute one rupee to share the happiness and brighten the festivities for the poor. Radio City has pledged to support causes ranging from women empowerment, community development, health to helping the physically challenged.
“Radio has the impact and the potential to reach out to the masses and we at Radio City want to leverage this to promote the true essence of Diwali. With #DiwaliEkRupayeWali, by donating just one rupee, we can empower the less fortunate to be a part of the celebrations,” adds Kalla.
Commenting on the campaign, actor Rajkummar Rao says, “I believe the festival of Diwali is about sharing happiness with everyone in the community especially with the less fortunate. I personally support the cause and urge everyone to contribute a minimum of Rs 1, like I did, because your one rupee can make a difference to many Mumbaikars.”
The fundraising campaign will help people who are striving for the welfare of the poor. Celebrities such as Gauri Khan, Shahbaz Khan, Tabrez Khwaja, Rajan Nair and Ravi Kumar want to build shelter for kids in Kamathipura, conduct workshops for Dharavi kids, provide free ambulance services, and teach photography to underprivileged kids with the funds from the campaign.
