Aashirvaad, ITC Ltd’s food brand, has launched ‘JotnerAanchal’, a Durga Puja initiative that brings Bengal’s traditional symbol of maternal care into a participatory brand experience, inviting visitors to create a growing red-and-white Aanchal at Kolkata’s Baghbazaarpandal.
Rooted in the Bengali concept of jotno, meaning care, the campaign celebrates the nurturing spirit of MaaDurga and mothers. Its centrepiece, ‘The Nurturance Story’, combines animated textile art and projection mapping to trace the Aanchal’s symbolism from idol-making to Bisarjan. Visitors can unlock and print six motifs representing everyday expressions of care, collectively forming an evolving installation.
Bengali television actor SandiptaSen inaugurated the experience. AnujRustagi, chief executive of ITC Ltd’s Staples Business Unit, Foods Division, said the initiative transforms personal expressions of nurturance into a shared community tribute. The installation is also intended to support mothers through a collective effort. Visitors can receive personalised digital keepsakes.
The campaign highlights the potential of culturally rooted marketing to deepen consumer engagement during festive periods. For Guwahati’s fast-evolving consumer goods market, similar experiential initiatives could help brands build stronger regional connections by combining local traditions, interactive participation and social purpose.
Aashirvaad has extended the experience to Durgapur, Burdwan, Medinipur and Siliguri, expanding participation beyond Kolkata and reinforcing the campaign’s regional reach.
