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.

THE TIMELINE OF INDIA IN SPEECH & SONG:

Mahatma Gandhi: In the midst of untruth, truth persists. In the midst of darkness. light persists, light persists…

Subash Chandra Bose: Persist with the beat of one united heart, the courage of one collective soul…

Jawaharlal Nehru: Persist with what keeps our spirit of freedom alive, our idea of unity in diversity.

Sardar Patel: Such unity in diversity was never seen in history.

Indira Gandhi: People of all religions, people of all languages, people of all regions, people of all castes, everyone as one.

A B Vajpayee: A new pride is alive in our nation, A resolve to build a bold new Bharat,

Narendra Modi: We march ahead with the message of unity, many languages one expression, many states one nation, many colours one tricolour.

People Of India: Many many colours one tricolour, many languages one expression, many many rituals one culture, many voices one song, a billion voices in one song…

Indira Gandhi: How does India look from space?

Astronaut Rakesh Sharma: I see the idea of India shine through the brightest light in the universe.

Drone Photography + Timelapse Photography + Cinemagraphs + Steadycam Cinematography stitched together seamlessly to reveal the invisible thread of unity in diversity through the visible thread of lights.

The Visual Thread in the meticulously planned narrative was captured by multiple camera crews and photographers throughout the festive season from Navaratri to Diwali to Christmas Lights across three months.

India is a journey you can’t complete in one lifetime but the thread of light travels across the country from Kashmir to Kanyakumari at the speed of light, cinematically capturing a day in the life of India through timelapse and timeless transitions.

Over a thousand forms of the same thread of light transform Temples, Churches, Mosques, Gurudwaras, Monasteries, Monuments, Gods and Statues across India. Light travels through trains, trucks, boats, rickshaws from one location to another occasion, from one region to another religion, dissolving our differences at the speed of light.

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.