The India Dega Aashirvad initiative aims to bring about behavioural change by empowering millions of Indians to look at a revered wedding custom differently, and by doing so, helping thousands living in poverty. The initiative implores Indians at a sacred event they are all familiar with, the wedding ceremony, and encourages them to play a part in bringing the nation a step closer to becoming a hunger-free India by choosing to leave the packs handed to them unopened. That is what makes this relevant for the direct category.

India is a country that prides itself in upholding its sacred traditions. Over 10 million weddings take place every year. Rice is an extremely auspicious part of every wedding ceremony. Every guest who attends the wedding is given a fist full of rice to shower upon the newlyweds as a symbol of their blessing. At least 2 to 5 kilograms of rice are used at every wedding, adding up to an annual total of 20 to 50 million kilograms. Once showered, this rice is swept away and thrown.

In this same India, 195 million people are left undernourished and struggle to find food every single day.

India Dega Aashirvad is an initiative to empower millions across the country with a simple way of upholding this sacred tradition while helping millions living in poverty.

We created special packs, each filled with a pinch of rice that can be distributed to wedding guests instead of a fist full of rice. Thus giving guests a choice to either shower the small amount of rice in the pack, or merely touch the pack as a symbol of their blessing.

Betrothed couples, families, or wedding planners can log on to www.indiadegaaashirvad.com, where these packs are made available in exchange for the rice that would otherwise be used to shower the couple during the wedding ceremony.

The selected packs are delivered to the wedding venue, and the rice collected in return is turned into meals for the underprivileged.

The unopened packs are also collected and kept in circulation.

Getting millions of people to bring about a change in a custom that is as old as time itself is a monumental task.

So we decided to start with reaching out to the most sought after wedding planners and venues in the country. Encouraging them to offer these packs as an optional offering in their wedding packages.

They encouraged couples and their families to be a part of this movement by logging onto the website and choosing the packs for free. In return, they had to donate the rice that was to be showered as a symbol of blessing during the ceremony.

India Gate covered all logistical costs so the packs would remain free for the people. The initiative now aims to become a long term property that will continue to work towards the brand's aim to achieve a hunger-free India.

A total of 4 pack designs were created, drawing inspiration from iconic symbols that encapsulate the cultures and traditions of the different parts of India, and seamlessly fit into the festivities. Hence making them blend in and be more acceptable in the wedding ceremony environment.

Each pack was filled with a nominal amount of rice and had a powerful message on the back that implored wedding guests to understand the implications of this custom. While also encouraging them to bless the newlywed couple in a unique way, and help millions in need at the same time.

On indiadegaaashirvad.com, a special calculation determined how much rice couples or families had to donate in exchange for their desired number of packs.

The website allowed them to place their order, in the location of the wedding venue, and give a date for when the unused packs could be collected.

In just two weeks

- 144 wedding registrations in just two weeks

- 10,000 Pledges to not shower rice

- $2000000 worth of media was earned

- Over 1500 kgs. of rice collected

- 7500 meals were served to the underprivileged

- The nation came 1 step closer to becoming a hunger-free India