By Sadia Hussain
In a tech savvy world where interactive screens and dynamic content are dramatically changing the city’s landscape, it appears counterintuitive that a brand would turn to hand-painted murals to communicate a message. One may argue that this form of art gives the widest possible audience but so do the billboards!
My inquisitiveness only grew ever since I saw the ad for “Sarsabz Canvas Wall” on Instagram. The question being, why would a brand which could easily afford to splash out millions in tech-based marketing, choose something as a medium that is so exposed to the external highs and lows of the weather while having a fairly uncertain shelf life?
So, in an attempt to satiate my curiosity, I found myself standing outside the vicinity of Pak Arab Plant of Fatima Group in Multan on November 30 where a two-day wall paint activity had just kicked off. The “Canvas Wall” situated outside the plant’s gate and facing the main Multan-Khanewal road was in that moment a creative outlet for young enthusiastic painters who used street art where words failed i.e. to pay a tribute to the farmers of Pakistan.
At the wall, I ran in to Mobeen, the brand manager for Sarsabz who expounded on the theme, Salam Kissan – Sarsabz Pakistan in the following words:
“Growing up, we had heard the cliché Agriculture is Pakistan’s backbone. But let’s admit it, no one considers farmers or agriculture a priority. You hear stories of farmer’s losses, protests and sadly, suicides as well but when you look at our agriculture policy its missing something as important as cotton! I mean, look behind you, you’re standing outside a plant that’s been lying shut down for the past three years despite the fact that it produces fertilizers that gives average 10% more yield to our farmers than the conventional fertilizers which the government is forced to import in order to meet the shortfall!
It’s pretty ironical that the farmer is really at the bottom of not just the food chain but sadly also the economic and financial pyramid. So we, as a brand, believe we can change that – yup, that’s our cause! And look, these students have come from all over Pakistan to join us in this initiative. Trust me, it is a start of something beautiful!”
And in that moment, I understood that why a wall paint activity which was bringing together youth from all over Pakistan to give a moving tribute to farmers was far more impactful than any pretty ad on a fleeting billboard!
The competition, which featured over 40 teams and almost 125 students from cities as far as Karachi and Islamabad, started at 11am on the first day and ended at 5pm on the second day during which amazing pieces of art were created. The organizers provided all sort of facilities to participants from paints, brushes as well as accommodation for the night. Participants were quite happy with the event overall and remained really engaged throughout the two days.
Online engagement of the event was also spectacular with RJ Sophie popping up at the scene, taking interview of participants and giving shout outs in support of farmers which created a lot of buzz on the social media. A time-lapse video of the main key visuals being painted by an artist for Sarsabz fertilizers was recorded and shared on the social media by leading influencers, making others curious enough to visit the event. Dozens of TV channels also showed up to broadcast this unique effort by the company and express support for the cause!
Taking advantage of the number of participants present at the event, the plant management provided 300 saplings to be planted along the border of the vicinity, in line with the company’s vision of caring for the environment. The atmosphere of working together was further bolstered with participation of representatives from the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment Protection Department in this tree plantation activity.
The evening drew to a close with dinner which was followed up with a humorous stand-up comedy show by a young group called Pakistan Tehreek-e-Comedy. I realized how long it had been since I last teamed up with so many people to laugh my heart out! Just when I thought I had experienced it all, the event touched its highest note with a huge drum circle organized by Haider Jamil around a bonfire. The participants actively joined in creating the most rhythmic sounds and beats; learning the amplified impact of working together as a team for a cause!
On the second day, the canvases were finally completed and after careful consideration, three of the groups were shortlisted as winning participants by the judging committee. The criteria was based on:
- Effective portrayal of the theme, “Salam Kissan, Sarsabz Pakistan”.
- Level of skill employed by the artists.
- An ‘out of the box’ approach.
The first position holder was a team of two people, Waqas Ahmed and Waseem from Sialkot who claimed to be Pakistan’s first 3D artists. They managed to woo the judges with their skills and bagged a PKR 250,000 reward. Maryam Rana, Sumaira Munir and Waseema Khalid from Multan won PKR 100,000 at the second position, followed by Abu Bakar, Mamoona, Maryam and Muqaddas who took home PKR 50,000!
The prizes along with trophies were handed out by Mr. Inamullah Naveed, Head of Fertilizer Plant at Fatima Group who occasionally dropped in at the Canvas Wall to encourage the students. All the contestants were given certificates of participation along with a hi-resolution print of their artwork as a souvenir.
As I networked with marketing team members of Sarsabz on the final day, I was told by Hassan Amjad, Digital Brand Manager of Sarsabz that this Canvas Wall Paint activity is a kick off for the #SalamKissan campaign which will continue to gain its momentum in different ways at Sukkur, Multan, Hyderabad and Sialkot in a bid to engage the local communities and letting the voice of farmers be heard at the policy making level. The zenith of this campaign will be a video song (soon to be released) that’ll pay tribute to the farmers of Pakistan!
The entire event was very well managed especially when compared to other such street art competitions, it successfully managed to make people like us, living in the comforts of our urban homes, realize the importance and struggle of farmers for a better, stronger and Sarsabz Pakistan!
To view the event highlights even more graphically please click here.
Pssst!
In sight of the event’s success and participants’ efforts, Sarsabz has announced a People’s Choice Award which will be granted to the painting securing the most likes. The creators of that masterpiece will be featured on a prestigious newspaper as well. So, don’t dally folks and show your support for your favourite team before the voting ends at 23:59 on December 10, 2019.
