By A Correspondent
Himalaya Sparking White Toothpaste recently concluded the campaign ‘Celebrating Life’, a unique photographic journey that was launched last year with street photographer and travel enthusiast Siddhartha Joshi. The campaign aimed to capture the stories of hope and joy spread across India and is part of a ‘spread a smile’ drive called Smiles of India. Himalaya conceptualised the Smiles of India initiative to spread happiness and positivity by capturing extraordinary stories of hope and resilience on a single platform.
As part of this initiative, ‘Celebrating life’ was launched in December last year, wherein Siddhartha travelled to 10 cities viz Pune, Bhubaneshwar, Jaipur, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Chandigarh, Lucknow, Varanasi, Ranchi and Guwahati. Within each city, Siddhartha met with people who defined the culture and tradition of that city and were working to keep it alive for the future generations. Their fascinating stories coupled with their passion to embrace life each day with renewed vigour and enthusiasm formed the crux of the campaign.
Explaining the idea behind the campaign, Sushil Goswami – Category Manager – Oral Care, The Himalaya Drug Company said “Amidst the stress and anxiety that we are exposed to everyday, we felt it was crucial to bring alive the stories of hope and positivity that existed in different parts of India and give people a reason to smile and hope for a brighter future. As a brand, it is our mission to spread smiles and make people happy, both through our product offerings and through initiatives like Smiles of Indiaâ€.
Starting his photographic journey with Pune, Siddhartha focused on capturing the “Katta Culture’’ that is synonymous with the youth of the city. Katta as we know refers to the hangout locations or hot spots where young minds converge, conversations flow and social and political issues are openly discussed. Siddhartha then travelled to Mumbai to capture the New Year resolutions of the street hawkers who exemplified resilience and determination to make the most of what you have and to never stop dreaming.
The next destination was Lucknow where Siddhartha captured how the youth is playing a crucial role in reviving the traditional and delicate art of Chikankari. Ranchi or aptly termed ‘The Dhoni City’ revealed how Dhoni’s success has spawned an entire city of youngsters determined to make it big in cricket. After traveling to Bhubaneshwar, Ahmedabad, Chandigarh, Varanasi and Jaipur, the campaign culminated in Guwahati amidst the beautiful Bihu dancers. The photographs along with the stories were captured on the Smiles of India microsite.
Reflecting on his journey, Siddhartha Joshi, Himalaya’s Photography Ambassador for this campaign said, “I am thrilled that Himalaya gave me the opportunity to capture the moments of aspirations, hopes, accomplishments and an enduring love for the country that exists within this country. I was amazed to witness the enthusiasm and earnest efforts of the youth in keeping the tradition and culture of the city alive. Their passion and joie de vivre is infectious, and their stories have been etched in my mind foreverâ€.