By Our Staff
Brooke Bond Taj Mahal Tea has partnered with its creative agency Ogilvy to make the extraordinary Megh Santoor, a one-of-a-kind musical installation in Vijayawada. Inspired by the rains and activated by them, the instrument was conferred a Guinness World Record for being the ‘Largest Environmentally Interactive Billboard’. The billboard measures 209 meter square in total surface area and achieved this record-breaking feat on September 10, 2023.
Said Kainaz Karmakar & Harshad Rajadhyaksha, Chief Creative Officers, Ogilvy India: “We’re extremely proud of the Megh Santoor piece. It has taken months of planning, testing and failing, before we finally succeeded in making this happen. Taj and Indian classical music have been each other’s companions for very long now. We added rain to it for this experiment. We call it an experiment because it was filled with ‘what ifs’, with no guarantee of result until the day it rained, and the drops hit the keys and created music. Important to mention our Taj team at Unilever’s belief and support. Also, kudos to Fritz Gonzales, Jayesh Raut, Nikhil Mohan and his team at Ogilvy who saw it through from conception to execution. The world needs as much music as it can get and we’re happy to add our little bit to this.”
Added Shiva Krishnamurthy, Beverages and Foods Head, Hindustan Unilever: “We are thrilled to have ‘Megh Santoor’ recognized as the world’s largest environmentally interactive billboard by The Guinness Book of World Records. Vijayawada is one of the biggest citadels for Taj Mahal Tea, and creating this extraordinary experience is our way of extending heartfelt gratitude to the city in a way that fits us best, with Hindustani classical music! This achievement reflects our unwavering commitment to Hindustani classical music, the beautiful people of Vijayawada and to sheer tea enjoyment in the rains. We have created history, and we invite everyone to experience this extraordinary blend of art and technology.”