Swiggy puts Shonagachi women at the centre of Durga Puja
Swiggy's Durga Puja campaign hands the clay to Shonagachi women, then adds a 50+ pandal app feature pairing purpose with utility.
Swiggy has given Kolkata’s Shonagachi women a role most brand films never offer: making the goddess herself.
The campaign, titled ‘Ebar Amader Haathey Gora Ma’, builds on the Bengali ritual of punya mati, the practice of using soil from red-light districts in Durga idols. Swiggy’s version moves the women from a story told about them to hands that literally shape the idol, alongside artisans from Kumartuli.
Durga Puja is one of India’s largest festival economies, and Kolkata’s brands treat it as the year’s defining cultural window. Campaigns that ignore its social texture get dropped from the conversation quickly; those that honour its rituals earn attention that outlasts the festival.
01 · The film and the tradition
A digital film directed by Emmy-nominated filmmaker Ronny Sen follows the process from the first touch of clay, while capturing the experiences and perspectives of the women involved. It is more documentation of participation than a conventional advertising spot.
Mayur Hola, VP-Brand at Swiggy, said the campaign was the next step in the brand’s Pujo arc. “This initiative deepens the bond by empowering the women to shape the idol themselves,” he said. Swiggy’s earlier Pujo moves include delivering bhog to Kolkata’s elderly in 2023, taking Pujo to villagers and Tiger Widows of the Sundarbans in 2024, and running a mobile pandal for street dogs in Kolkata last year.
02 · Utility behind the emotion
Alongside the film, Swiggy launched Shrestho Pujo on October 16. The in-app feature lets users vote for their favourite pandals and browse profiles of more than 50 pandals across Kolkata, with details on history, idols and photographs. Virtual access is built in for people who cannot visit in person, including senior citizens.
- Shonagachi women are co-creators of the idol, not background figures.
- Ronny Sen’s film grounds the idea in process and real experience.
- Shrestho Pujo converts cultural interest into app utility for a wider audience.
03 · What brand leaders should take from it
This is participation over representation. For CMOs, the sharper move is to find an existing local ritual and increase the role a community plays in it, rather than importing a message from outside.
The two-part structure is effective on its own: an emotional documentary builds meaning, while the app feature creates a reason to engage beyond the film. Swiggy also made the support tangible by distributing bhog to the women of Shonagachi.
Festival marketing rewards specificity. A campaign that gives ownership to a marginalised community, and pairs it with a useful tool, leaves behind more than a one-day impression.
Source: Afaqs!
