MAM
DAVP to ensure max publicity: MIB seeks ‘Quit India’ commemoration details from ministries
NEW DELHI: The ministry of information and broadcasting has asked all ministries to send details about programmes planned by their respective ministries related to commemoration of 75th anniversary of the Quit India Movement and 70 years of lndia’s freedom to MIB to ensure adequate publicity and visibility of these activities through Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity (DAVP) in a coordinated manner.
MIB secretary N K Sinha, in a letter to colleagues in other ministries, stated that details should be sent about the set of activities like the Pledge, the Quit lndia Quiz, the New India Manthan, and the Causes: one would like to dedicate oneself to.
In this connection, he drew attention to the letter from the Department of Personnel and Training regarding ‘Sankalp se Siddhi – Attainment through Resolve’ being celebrated as a mass movement during the five-year period from 2017 to 2022. These core activities can be complemented by the Ministries / Organisations suitably at their level. He also enclosed the DoPT letter.
He wrote: “I shall be grateful if suitable actions are taken in time to make the Commemoration a grand success” and drew attention to the letter from DoPT for suggestions of programmes.
Sinha added “that there are moments in the journey of nations that fundamentally alter the course of history. One such moment was the Quit lndia Movement, also known as August Kranti’ Andolan that began on 9 August 1942. This Movement was am important milestone in the Indian freedom struggle. Under the leadership of Mahatma Candhi, people across India, in every village, city transcending all barriers came together with a common mission- to uproot imperialism. Five years after the Quit lndia movement, India attained freedom on l5 August 1947.
The five-year period from 2017 to 2022 will be a unique opportunity of ‘Sankalp to ‘Siddhi’ towards a New India.
lt all begins with a pledge – a pledge to create a New India that is strong prosperous and inclusive, an India that will make our freedom fighters proud. This is the best time to make every Indian a Builder of a New India. It could be complemented at individual / organisational / local levels.
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MAM
VML India lands two finalist spots at Cairns Hatchlings 2026
The Mumbai agency is back in Australia with two teams, a UN brief and 24 hours to impress
MUMBAI: VML India is heading to Australia again. The Mumbai-based creative agency has secured two finalist spots at the Cairns Hatchlings 2026 competition, one in the Audio category and one in Design, making it the only Indian agency to have reached the finals in both editions of the contest since its launch in 2025.
Four people will make the trip. Senior copywriter Shilpi Dey and senior art director Raj Thakkar will compete in Audio. Art directors Shabbir and Shruti Negi will go head-to-head with the world’s best in Design. The finals take place at the Cairns Convention Centre from 13th May, culminating in an awards ceremony on 15th May.
The work that got them there is worth examining. For the Audio category, Dey and Thakkar tackled a brief for LIVE LIKE MMAD with a campaign called Inner Voice, Interrupted. Using spatial audio techniques, the campaign recreates the overwhelming self-doubt that descends after a long workday, physically panning negative thoughts left and right before cutting the noise entirely to reveal a confident inner voice. Strategically targeted at commuters via Spotify during evening rush hours, the campaign reframes the hours after work as an opportunity for personal growth and charitable action.
For the Design category, Shabbir and Negi worked on a brief for Canteen’s Bandanna Day, a campaign highlighting how cancer pushes teenagers out of their own defining moments. Using a pixelated design language to create stark contrast between a blurred world of isolation and a focused world of connection, the campaign, titled The Flipside of Cancer, shows teenagers fading into the background of birthdays, skateparks and school proms. As a Canteen bandanna appears, the blur flips and the teenager snaps back into sharp focus.
Kalpesh Patankar, group chief creative officer of VML India, made no attempt to disguise his satisfaction. “We are immensely proud to see our teams consistently excel on the Cairns Hatchlings platform since its inception,” he said. “They have masterfully tackled challenging briefs across diverse categories, demonstrating both layered storytelling and a unique creative approach. This exceptional teamwork is truly inspiring.”
Dey and Thakkar, returning to the finals after last year’s run, were candid about the demands of the audio medium. “It’s one of the most demanding mediums, where we only have a few seconds to capture a listener’s world with sound alone, so absolute clarity is essential,” they said. “The true measure of creative work is its ability to create positive change, and our audio submission was made to help those who need it most while encouraging people to silence the inner voices that hold them back.”
Shabbir and Negi, competing in Design for the first time, described the experience as “a completely different beast.” “We see it as an opportunity to showcase our expertise, raise the bar, and challenge ourselves in new ways, while also learning from creative minds from across the globe,” they said.
In Australia, the four finalists will face a live 24-hour brief from the United Nations before presenting in a live pitch session. Twenty-four hours, one brief, one shot. VML India has been here before. It knows exactly what is at stake.
