Brands
Artists and Coca-Cola India use comics to inspire change at Maha Kumbh 2025
MUMBAI : At Maha Kumbh 2025, comics and visual art are driving a powerful environmental message, turning the event into a catalyst for change. Led by Gaysi Family in partnership with Coca-Cola India and its foundation Anandana, the Maidaan Saaf campaign brings together renowned artists, including Aravani Art Project and Priyankar Gupta, to craft compelling visual narratives. Through striking illustrations, the initiative promotes waste segregation, recycling, and recognition of sanitation workers, making sustainability both engaging and impactful.
These illustrated panels, integrated into women’s changing rooms made from recycled plastic waste, span a 12-km stretch of the river ghats. They depict relatable characters and everyday scenarios, demonstrating the impact of responsible waste management. The initiative not only educates visitors but also highlights the dignity of sanitation workers, emphasizing how proper waste segregation supports their essential work.
“Using art to communicate complex ideas in a simple, accessible way is key to inspiring behavioral change,” said Gaysi Family creative director Priya Dali. Illustrator Gupta added that comics, like traditional Patachitras, are powerful tools for mass communication.
With millions attending the Maha Kumbh, Coca-Cola India’s ESG Value Creation senior director Saloni Goel, sees this as a unique opportunity to instill lasting environmental responsibility. “By blending art, culture, and sustainability, this campaign fosters meaningful shifts in public attitudes,” she stated.
Through creative storytelling, the Maha Kumbh is not just witnessing history it’s shaping a more sustainable future.
Brands
Faber-Castell India appoints Sunaina Haldar as director – marketing
With stints at Tata, SleepyCat and ADF Foods under her belt, Haldar is primed to redraw Faber-Castell’s brand story
MUMBAI: Faber-Castell India has poached Sunaina Haldar from ADF Foods, appointing her director – marketing as the German stationery brand looks to muscle up in a category that is rapidly reinventing itself around creativity and self-expression.
Haldar hit the ground running. “My first couple of weeks have been incredibly energising, understanding consumers, visiting markets, engaging with retailers and immersing myself into the world of Faber-Castell Group,” she said.
She arrives with considerable firepower. At ADF Foods, Haldar ran marketing across India and international markets for a portfolio spanning Ashoka, Aeroplane, Camel and ADF Soul. Before that, she was vice-president – marketing at direct-to-consumer mattress brand SleepyCat, where she helmed brand, content and performance marketing. Her résumé also includes a stint leading marketing, new product development and CRM for Tata SmartFoodz at Tata Consumer Products, no small proving ground.
Between corporate roles, Haldar also operated as a fractional CMO for early-stage startups, building marketing strategy and operational structures from scratch, a signal that she knows how to move fast with limited resources.
With 18 years straddling FMCG, D2C and the startup world, Haldar now takes the reins at a brand that has long owned the classroom but is clearly hungry for the living room. In a stationery market where the pencil has become a lifestyle statement, Faber-Castell has picked someone who knows exactly how to sell that story.
