Kyoorius Advertising Awards
Public Service Announcements

It's Not A Protest. It's A Prayer.
Brand: Farmer's Protest
Client: Shutterbugs Films

Blue Elephant

Entry Title:	It's Not A Protest. It's A Prayer.
Brand:	Farmer's Protest
Client:	Shutterbugs Films
Description:	If Mahatma Gandhi had to sit for a protest today, it would probably look like the one at Singhu Border, Delhi in December. They woke up and welcomed the sun by singing the soulful Ardas(prayer) that wrapped their pleas in a beautiful couplet. What a powerful way to make their voices heard. No one screaming. Nobody vociferous. Not a single sound of deafening slogans. Just the sound of a fervent early morning prayer. With hands clasped in a folded namaste and heads bowed to the almighty. What a distinctly inspiring way to show the world that in a democratic country like ours, this is exactly what a peaceful, organised protest should look like. We felt inspired and we felt that this needs to be captured and shared with everyone. And in the process of doing so realised that “It isn’t a protest. It’s a prayer.” became more than just a statement. The protesting farmers at Singhu Border put it on their placards. This melodious prayer was seen and heard by millions. Influencers on Instagram joined in to echo the ardaas. It became a WhatsApp forward and showed people the real picture of the protest grounds. YouTubers and TikTok-ers from different parts of the world uploaded it on their profiles. Our static rendition of the campaign got covered by Better Photography Magazine. Gurudwaras across India including the Golden Temple at Amritsar offered the Ardaas in a similar manner to support the farmers protesting in Delhi. Even the DCP at Singhu Border shared the film on his Facebook wall. But who knew that was just the beginning. Something unexpected happened after all this. The audio became an anthem. It is still being shared, played and being used to make different videos across the world. Red FM, Canada played the ardaas on their morning show and conducted interviews to spread the message of peace. It reached some powerful ears and people from Canada flew in to support the farmers at Singhu Border making it one of the biggest examples of solidarity in the world. It’s truly remarkable how even in the bone-chilling winters that were only getting colder, the farmers at Singhu Border weren’t losing their cool.
Company Credits:	Shutterbugs Films
Individual Credits:	Raja Gurpal Singh
Individual Credits:	Moumita Pal
Individual Credits:	Gagandeep Singh
Individual Credits:	Kapil Mridha