Posted on by Raihan Hadi
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Scarecrow M&C Saatchi and Reliance Jewels’ musical tribute to the divinity and beauty of Banaras
06 Oct
Reliance Jewels, India’s fastest growing jewellery brand has carved a niche for itself by paying homage to India’s rich heritage.
The journey started with Apurvam, a collection inspired by Hampi, followed by Utkala, dedicated to the fascinating land of Odisha.
This year, on the auspicious occasion of Dhanteras, the brand has launched Kaasyam, a collection inspired by Banaras. Kaasyam is not just an ode to the cultural capital but also captures its divine beauty.
The inspiration
The collection is inspired by the architectural marvels of Banaras like Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Ramnagar Fort, Ganga Ghats and some of the most revered art & cultural forms like Gulabi Meenakari, Banarasi Saree, Ganga Aarti. It represents the confluence of rich Indian culture and the charisma of modern India.
Capturing the essence of Banaras.
Coined by Scarecrow M&C Saatchi, the name Kaasyam for Reliance Jewels’ s Dhanteras collection is derived from Kashi; the ancient name of the holy city. The name signifies brightness; it means to shine, to sparkle.
Banaras is also blessed by Mother Ganga; one of the most sacred rivers in the country. It’s this river that makes it the most divine place. Divinity is found in every aspect of Banaras; it resides in every corner, in every art form, and in every monument. Keeping this in mind, the entire campaign is strategized around the central theme of ‘Dive into divinity’.
The campaign
The campaign conceptualised for Reliance Jewels by Scarecrow M&C Saatchi tells a story of two young girls; one a sitar player and the other a guitarist. The film captures the divine beauty of Banaras through a musical journey of these two band members.
The film has been shot by Shamik Sengupta (who has won several international awards for his short films and internet content), with cinematography helmed by Sejal Shah (one of the most specialised cinematographer when it comes to capturing beauty), and is produced by Tandem Media Pvt. Ltd.
The campaign also consists of print ads shot by Prasad Naik, a celebrity photographer whose work features on the covers of magazines like Vogue, GQ, Harper’s Bazaar among others and is shot against the backdrop featuring inspirations illustrated in the ancient art form Sanjhi by renowned illustrator Deelip Khomane. The campaign also features product shoot which was shot by famous photographer Avdhut Hembade.
Banaras, the City of Music.
Banaras is also a major kingdom of music and is crowned by UNESCO as the City of Music. Thumri, a classical music genre, has a significant influence on Banaras.
Scarecrow M&C Saatchi also penned the lyrics for Thumri in Braj Bhasha (The dialect of Banaras).
Lyrics
काया की नदियन में बह्यो
रंग रुप के घाट पे सोह्यो
मन मोहन मूरत पे मोह्यो
सदियन से तीरथ जो भयो
बतियन में काशी जो कह्यो
छवि पावन जल दरपन बसिया
घिस घिस कर रतियन की चंदनिया
बीच ललाट मोहे तिलक लगायो
सखियन उर अति आनंद छायो
सदियन से तीरथ जो भयो
बतियन में काशी जो कह्यो
The lyrics capture the mysticism of the holy city and is dedicated to the divine beauty of Banaras.
The divine song, a fusion of Thumri & electronic is composed by renowned music composer Aman Pant, the song is sung by Madhubanti Bagchi (A Hindustani Classical singer known for her songs in Love Aaj Kal and Laxmii) and Paroma.
The ensemble of musicians constituted of artists like Rhythm Shaw on guitar (who has worked with A.R. Rehman and Amit Trivedi), Tabla by Prashant Trivedi (who is also a member of famous Indian pop rock band Euphoria), Percussions by Rakesh Bharadwaj, Shehnai by Lokesh Anand (winner of several awards including Shehnai Ratna Award & a member of Mewati Gharana) and Sitar by maestro Purbayan Chatterjee (Winner of several awards including the President of India Award for being the Best Instrumentalist of the country at the age of 15).
The campaign also consists of print, innovative outdoor, digital activation and media innovations planned around the launch.
Even the Kaasyam logo is derived from various elements carved on the monumental architecture of Banaras; right from Kashi Vishwanath Temple to Ancient Gateways to Ganga Ghats.
Speaking on the campaign, Manish Bhatt, Founder Director, Scarecrow M&C Saatchi said, “The launch of Kaasyam is very special to everyone at Scarecrow. We have been involved in the process from stage one; right from arriving at the name to developing the strategy to conceptualising the campaign. The entire process of exploring the cultural capital, its rich history, its art heritage, its unique dialect, its music culture and bringing it to life through photography, graphic design, poetry, music, cinematography, innovations in one campaign is quite a memorable one.
Sunil Nayak, CEO, Reliance Jewels added, “India has a rich heritage when it comes to art and culture. As India’s fastest growing jewellery brand, we want to pay our tribute to these beautiful art forms while also giving it a much wider platform. So to capture the divine beauty of Banaras, we designed this spectacular collection “Kaasyam” inspired by Banaaras, an exquisite range of intricately carved necklace sets and bangles in both gold and diamond. We wanted to reach out to our customers and communicate the details of this magnificent craftsmanship through a campaign that’s as intricate and as inspiring as the collection itself.”
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