Situation: India is the world’s most populous democracy and one of the most religious and ethnically diverse nations. Historically, this diversity has been its strength. However, today, these are becoming differences and threatening to question the idea of India. Against this backdrop, the core Indian principle of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ (meaning ‘One Earth One Family One Future’) is more relevant than ever.

In the 75th year of India’s Independence, The Times of India (TOI), India’s largest circulating English daily, decided to not just chronicle but to shine a spotlight on the beauty of the unity in India’s diversity.

Brief: Remind the people of India that a common thread continues to bind everyone as one nation, despite diverse differences.

Objective: Drive engagement by sparking conversations about what India means to its people, across all platforms.

Neelabh, one of India’s most celebrated cartoonists, created this commissioned illustration, especially for the campaign. The large format illustration is made up of many mini-stories, each of which portrays a distinct aspect of life in India.

The content is topical and very relatable – touching upon India’s love for cricket, the recent win at the Oscars, phishing call centres, and tropes like clicking selfies, traffic congestion, etc. Each depiction is insightful and full of nuances and delightful details.

The execution packs dozens of scenarios into a single page, much like the India it depicts, where every inch is full of vibrancy, life, and diversity.

The style is witty and appeals to the sense of humor with which Indians approach life.

The illustration became so popular that it was converted into merchandise, and also used as a backdrop at events.

India was an idea long before it became a free nation. It was the song from a thousand years ago. It was the spirit of thousands of freedom fighters. It was the same thread of unity in diversity and adversity and festivity. It is the same thread that continues to bind us as one nation, despite diverse differences.

But in today’s polarised environment, people look for unifiers to reconfirm their belief in ‘ekta’ (meaning ‘unity’). On this 75th Year of Independence, from India’s Republic Day (marks and celebrates the date on which the Constitution of India came into effect on 26 January 1950) to Independence Day, TOI launched #WhatMakesUsOne. This platform enabled people to celebrate the idea of India in their own words, such as unity, constitution, culture, cricket, and so on – a united family, blurring boundaries between religions, cultures, and languages.