In today’s era of negative news and polarizing rhetoric, this is the story of how the biggest newspaper in the country took on the audacious goal of fighting unwarranted cynicism. We needed a strategy to fight all negativity by galvanizing the nation’s collective consciousness through stories of positivity.

In 2022, The Times of India, India’s leading English newspaper, took on the responsibility of infusing readers with a degree of optimism, to break out of the despondency created by the pandemic. Importantly, there has always been a question of whether India will succeed or not, whether our economy will move ahead, and whether the country to realize its potential. TOI’s reply came in India’s 75th year of Independence – proving that Humanity always marches on.

Our initiative showcased the immense progress the country has made, with each decade building on the success of the previous one. While we have covered hundreds of individual success stories over time, this was the first concerted effort to showcase the bigger ecosystem behind an Unstoppable India – the building blocks that have contributed to Indian success – from the education system to the technology spine behind cashless payments, to many more.

News is usually considered a trigger for negative feelings, a phenomenon that increases at a time of war and pandemics. And if allowed to fester, this could lead to a drop in readership.

As a newspaper, The Times of India seeks to go beyond the drumbeats of nationalism and reflect the aspirations of individual readers – showcasing their success, pointing them to opportunities, infusing them with positivity, telling them that Right Now was the best time to be India and thus, leaving them in a better frame of mind to begin each day afresh. And in the process, create a conversation with our readers. As a result, engagement with readers would increase.

In a sense, we were speaking to every human being in the country.

And the human truth is, Better is always evolutionary. It’s around us, as we speak. But often we miss the journey looking at the destination.

The 75 years since India’s Independence have witnessed numerous success stories, from individuals, organizations, and institutions. Each of these has been the result of an Indian ecosystem that has acted as a spine, building upon even phenomena and social trends to drive change. And in turn, each generation of successes has contributed back to strengthening that ecosystem for the next generation.

TOI’s breakthrough moment was realizing that while individual stories had been covered, we had to stitch them all together into an unmissable, engaging platform – a showcase of the bigger picture of a nation on the move to a great future.

Thus, The Time of a Better India (TOABI) was born.

TOABI was a like a large fabric with a collage of many initiatives.

1. 35 stories showcasing India’s astonishing success.

2. Inspirational video emphasizing that Right Now was the best time to be Indian.

3. Clutter-breaking print advertising with youth appeal - the ‘Imagine’ creative spoke of a nation that had made its greatest dreams come true; the irreverent approach of ‘Not in your footsteps’ spoke of breaking fresh ground and ‘What’s up, obstacles’ was a bold message by an unstoppable nation ready to overcome any challenge.

4. A timeline of India’s progress from 1947 capturing its transformation.

5. Over 30 video stories on digital platforms using sourced footage, rare photographs, and animation.

6. Testimonial videos from eminent Indians who symbolize national success.

7. Contest using picture symbols of Indian success, asking readers to identify the bigger story behind each brought the initiative alive and created an engagement platform.

The campaign did all we had hoped for and more with active engagement and participation exceeding expectations. Here’s a snapshot:

• Campaign content widely shared and appreciated – including by decision makers and public figures.

• The Big Picture Contest, using picture clues that symbolized national success, drew over 220,000 entries.

• A contest asking school students to caption and root for interesting pictures of Indian success stories – saw participation of close to 800,000.

• Over 260,000 users registered on the website, with nearly 12 million views and 4.6 million unique users.

• Video views exceeded 18 million.

• More than 23 million engagements online.

• More than 1.47 million hashtag interactions.

All of the above contributed to an overall digital reach of nearly 369 million.

In India, each generation aspires to do better than its predecessor. Usually, that change is both economic and cultural. One man moves from a village or a small town to a larger city, seeking better employment. Consequently, his son/daughter is better educated and aspires for superior wages and a social milieu that fits better than the one the father belonged to.

By the third generation, growing aspirations may signal education abroad and aspirations to become a globally mobile citizen – one whose area of impact could be anywhere in the world.

Making this change possible is India’s education system, inherent stability in policymaking, technological changes, growing economy, and more. And today, we find that many more such aspirations can succeed, and in turn, build a powerful sense of nationalism and belief in taking the nation forward. Hence, we believe that Right Now is the best time to be Indian.