MUMBAI – In India and across the world, there is still a significant part of the population which is not able to differentiate between dirty and clean water. In rural India, The villagers still bathe themselves and their cattle, wash clothes and utensils in local water bodies. Often, they even defecate on the banks of water bodies, thereby polluting fresh water, which is already on the verge of becoming a scarce resource.
Keeping these ‘long- ignored’ factors in mind, The Government of India and WaterAid India along with DDB Mudra Group created two films using slice of life situations to drive home the concept of clean water and create awareness around the same.
The first film showcases a typical North Indian rural household while a cricket game is being broadcast on TV. The villagers, glued to the television, use the idiom ‘Gayi Bhains Paani Mein’ (Here goes the buffalo into the water) whenever India misses a score in the game. After a while, an elderly man asks his young son to fetch him a glass of drinking water. The son who was listening to the earlier cribs of the men, brings a glass of muddy water. The shocked father reprimands him, but the youngster cleverly ties the situation using the idiom ‘Gayi Bhains Paani Mein’ and patiently explains that if time and again buffalo and other cattle get into water, it is bound to get dirty, eventually resulting in dirty water.
The second TVC shows three friends talking at a roadside dhaba (food joint) in a rural area. One of them is apparently moving to the city, hence the other two tell him jokingly that they will miss him and will shed tears in his memory. While saying this, they keep splashing water on their faces repeatedly to mime tears and waste an entire jug of clean drinking water during their conversation. After a while, one of them casually asks for another jug of drinking water, the waiter gives them three empty glasses. When they question that, the owner of the dhaba who has been watching them all along seizes the opportunity and calmly educates them on the importance of saving clean drinking water.
Both the TVCs have focused on different and relevant points in a simplistic yet creative manner. The campaign has extensively been promoted on television and radio.
“Water is a precious resource and India is one of the most water stressed nations in the world,” said Neeraj Jain, Chief Executive, WaterAid India. “It is important that this precious resource is conserved and local water sources are not polluted. The PSAs that WaterAid India commissioned from DDB Mudra for use by the Government of India put across these messages in a simple but creative manner. I hope that they are effective in inculcating in all of us the necessity for careful management and conservation of our meager fresh water resources.”
“To work on a campaign for an issue of such critical importance as water conservation was not just exciting but daunting at the same time, said Sonal Dabral, Chairman and CCO, DDB Mudra Group. “We are really happy that by building on some very deep rooted insights about water, we were able to create work that has successfully connected with our audience and made them take a fresh look at this vastly ignored problem.”
“We live in a world where water is taken for granted – more so in rural, semi-urban areas where potable water is wasted and water bodies are used in an unhygienic manner,” Sambit Mohanty, Creative Head, DDB Mudra North added. “Our ‘Jal Hai Toh Kal Hai’ campaign aims to sensitize people to treat this precious natural resource with more respect and consideration.”
In photo is Sonal Dabral, Chairman and CCO, DDB Mudra Group.
