InGandhisShoes.org, an NGO, along with Publicis India, has come up with a campaign called Let Gandhi Talk. The campaign has been conceptualised by Emmanuel Upputuru, NCD, Publicis India and Shailendra Uniyal, Founder, InGandhisShoes.org.
The project will not only attempt to resurrect Gandhi’s much-needed philosophy of peace and non-violence in today’s times, but also make people realise that it is possible to dissent, demand and drive change without resorting to violence.
Alongside, they are also getting a petition signed in the form of a large postcard addressed to the President of India appealing that Mahatma Gandhi’s message be accommodated next to his picture on the Indian currency note.
The campaign began in Delhi on January 30, on Martyr’s Day. The idea behind this drive is to call upon people to step into a large size replica of Mahatma Gandhi’s shoes and read out a quote of Gandhiji that encapsulates his ideas of non-violence.
Uppurtu, said, “Today, we have so many symbols of Gandhi everywhere we go; from his statues to postage stamps, currency notes, murals and so on. Through this campaign we want to bring to life these thousand muted symbols.”
The NGO plans to extend the campaign to Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh, Champaran in Bihar, Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh and thereafter to Bangalore in Karnataka and Jaipur in Rajasthan. The campaign’s last stop will be Mumbai by the end of March. The event in Delhi was supported by actor Nandita Das and the victims of recent terror attacks.
“Our country has seen a lot of violence in the recent past. Gandhi’s message of non-violence is more relevant today than it ever was,” said Uniyal.
The campaign has been funded by Publicis India, Uniyal himself and few fellow partners. As of now, they have no brand association, but Uniyal welcomes any brand that would like to be associated with the cause.
The team behind the campaign includes Anup Sharma and Saurabh Dwivedi, who are working alongside Uniyal and Prasad Raghavan, who has designed the Gandhi sandals. The team from Publicis India is led by Upputuru and includes Publicis Dialog, the activation partner. Nomad Pictures is the film production partner; Hanmer&L is the public relations partner and Publicis Modem is the interactive partner.