Grey Group Singapore transforms the bindi into a life saving dot by dispensing iodine to women
Millions of women across rural India suffer from breast cancer, fibrocystic breast disease and complications during pregnancy. In most of these cases, it is linked to iodine deficiency. How do we ensure the women in these rural areas get the required dosage of iodine?
Almost every Indian woman wears a ‘bindi’, an Indian forehead art worn with a dot. With this in mind, Grey Group Singapore’s newly formed philanthropic arm, Grey for Good, collaborated with the NGO, Neelvasant Medical Foundation and Research Center, to produce iodine patches, known as the Life Saving Dot. This initiative is further supported by Talwar Bindi.
In a nation of 500 million women, this little dot can make all the difference between life and death. The iodine patch, worn as a bindi by the women, dispenses the daily-required amount of iodine to the wearer.
“The Neelvasant Medical Foundation and Research Center’s purpose is to help the under-privileged in society by bringing about an awareness that will help them to improve their quality of life. The Life Saving Dot is one of these brilliant missions to help the women across rural India – a simple yet effective idea,” said Dr. Prachi Pawar, President of Neelvasant Medical Foundation and Research Center.
“Iodine deficiency disorder is a major nutritional problem and the Life Saving Dot is a simple, yet innovative preventive measure to a widespread problem in rural India. This program can easily be extended to reach a larger population of women in India who need this vital mineral for a healthier life,” said Ali Shabaz, Chief Creative Officer of Grey Group Singapore.
Since mid-March, the Life Saving Dot has been distributed to Badli village (near New Delhi), Niphad-rural (Maharastra), Peth-tribal (Maharastra), and Kopergaon/Sinner (Maharastra).
Credits –
Grey Group Singapore:
Chief Creative Officer: Ali Shabaz
Copywriters: Ali Shabaz, Karn Singh
Art Directors: Cinzia Crociani, Sudhir Pasumarty, Sandeep Bhardwaj, Giap How Tan
Designers: Cinzia Crociani, Sudhir Pasumarty, Sandeep Bhardwaj
Illustrator: Sudhir Pasumarty
Project Manager: Sandeep Bhardwaj
Account Director: Gaurav Arora
Account Manager: Marie Tan
Regional Director, PR & Corporate Communications: Huma Qureshi
Regional Corporate Communications Executive: Yanrong Pang
Greyworks:
Producer: Jacinta Loo
Editor: Timothy Lee
Editor: Bobby Aguila
Sound Designer/Composer: Marco Iodice
Director: Giovanni Fantoni Modena
DOP: Matte Chi
Production House: Hfilms Milan
3 Comments
While it’s good to be channelling its creativity to solve real world problems, it’s another thing to come up with these “solutions” to win awards, without regard to the real world implications it may have. It’s not just hypocrisy. In this case, it can actually put lives at risk.
First of all, a far simpler solution to this problem already exists. For more than a decade, the Indian government has been using iodised salts, which studies has shown has already reached 91% of India (including rural areas). Plus, orally ingested iodised salts are a far more reliable way to delivering iodine than through skin absorption.
So some of the people in the population might have already been getting an adequate amount of iodine to begin with. Therein lies the problem.
Research shows that even a 400 MICROgram supplementation of iodine may cause hypothyroidism. A sudden increase in iodine intake may also cause hyperthyroidism. In patients with underlying thyroid disorder or any iodine sensitivity, a sudden increase in iodine can have adverse, and in some cases, life-threatening effects.
In short: this is an inefficient, unsustainable way to deliver iodine at best, and very dangerous at worst.
So the question is, did the good folks at Grey for Good or the organisation distributing these Bindis check the current daily iodine intake of every single one of the claimed 100,000 women receiving the Bindis, or if any of these 100,000 had any medical history of thyroid problems or sensitivity to iodine? Do they have evidence to back their due diligence up? Or were their lives not as important as winning an award?
If they did all that, then good for them for using their creativity to solve real world problems the right way. Else, they should just rename themselves “Grey for Lions”.
I want to distribute these bindi but no source frm where can I get them? I am the Chairperson of ladies Circle Nasik…we do social work for d needy….iodised bindi is a gr8 idea….but I am upset as have no source frm where can we get it…plz guide us
They are only made once a year, to coincide with the Cannes awards….may I suggest you distribute some iodised salt to the villagers…like most normal people would.