When the villagers became the voice of the campaign

Over the past decades, Sikar district has experienced irregular monsoon seasons, with an average annual rainfall of just 550 mm, leaving communities vulnerable to severe water scarcity. The available water was also affected by high fluoride levels, leading to health issues within the community. Under its campaign ‘Refreshing Difference,’ Anandana – The Coca-Cola India Foundation released a video series highlighting the impact of its long-running water access initiative in the district. Implemented in collaboration with Social Action for Rural Advancement (SARA), the initiative focuses on reviving traditional water systems to address water scarcity in the drought-prone regions of Sikar, Rajasthan.

 The video series features stories of transformation and is narrated by beneficiaries who have been directly impacted by the project. One of them features Kamlesh Devad, a young sarpanch, who helped lead the efforts to expand water access across six villages. Shravan Lal Ghayal also shares how the recharged pond has revived his village’s groundwater and provided water access to local animals, while Lala Ram Punya transformed his dry farmland into thriving fields assisted by the check dams.  

Sharing the impact on his community, Kamlesh Devad, sarpanch of Laxmipura, said, “The check dams constructed in Laxmipura, Rajpura, and Nausal through the efforts of SARA and Anandana, have transformed our villages. Rainwater now stays, recharging wells and ponds, and providing much-needed water for both farming and livestock. Earlier, our cattle struggled during dry spells. But now, they drink from the ponds revived by this initiative. Farmers are seeing better yields, and the entire village benefits. These structures haven’t just conserved water; they’ve strengthened our way of life and supported livelihoods.”

Over the past decade, the project has benefited over 18,000 residents across six villages - Rajpura, Balyawas, Karad, Khora, Dungri Khurd, and Chhota Narena. It includes check dams, pond restoration, and groundwater recharge. These efforts ensured safe drinking water access, enhanced agricultural productivity, revitalised local ecosystems, and supported more resilient rural livelihoods.

Mota Ram, director of SARA, said, “What makes this project different is not just the structures we built, but the mindset we helped shift. We worked with communities. Families contributed, some gave INR 100, some gave labour, others gave land. That ownership changed everything. We insisted on equal pay for women, trained them as barefoot engineers, and helped form Village Development Committees that now manage the water systems themselves. Even nine years after project completion, they’re still maintaining, adapting, and innovating. With the support from Anandana, The Coca-Cola India Foundation, we created more than just recharge structures, we created local stewards of sustainability.”

Rajiv Gupta, director of Anandana, The Coca-Cola India Foundation, said, “Water is fundamental to thriving communities and resilient ecosystems. In Rajasthan, our interventions focus on restoring traditional water systems and building local infrastructure that strengthens long-term water security. Through the ‘Refreshing Difference’ campaign, we are deepening our commitment to water stewardship in the state, supporting agricultural sustainability, community health, and climate resilience. Our partnership with organisations like SARA is part of a broader effort to empower local communities and drive meaningful, lasting change across high-need regions.”

This initiative forms a key part of Coca-Cola India’s broader commitment to responsible water stewardship through its campaign, Refreshing Difference. The campaign highlights the company’s collaborative efforts with grassroots organisations like SARA, which help advance community water resilience, operational efficiency, and equitable access to safe water. Anchored in global principles of transparency and action, Refreshing Difference demonstrates how locally driven solutions can lead to measurable, lasting impact through shared ownership and sustainable practices.

In Rajasthan, Anandana has implemented a range of locally tailored water projects across districts in collaboration with grassroots partners. To date, nearly 20 projects have been successfully implemented across 13 cities. Collectively, these sustained efforts have enhanced water security, supported agriculture, improved drinking water access, empowered local communities, and created a lasting social impact across some of Rajasthan’s most drought-prone regions.

Campaign’s take: Coca-Cola India Foundation’s latest Refreshing Difference campaign could have easily gone the high-decibel route — celebrity narrators, aerial shots, emotive background scores. Instead, it hands the mic to the people who actually know the story: the villagers of drought-prone Sikar.

This is not an ad blitzkrieg, but a quiet, deliberate creative choice. No brand ambassador explaining rural hardship; just residents detailing how reviving traditional water systems — check dams, pond restorations, groundwater recharge — changed their lives. It’s almost anti-campaign in tone, and that’s what gives it weight.

Skipping the gloss also makes the initiative’s creative spine stronger: authentic storytelling from those directly impacted. A young sarpanch speaks of six villages gaining water access; a farmer describes crops thriving again; another notes that even cattle are better off. The decision to spotlight these voices is bolder than it seems — especially in a landscape where high-profile faces are the default shortcut to attention.

Equally interesting is the built-in sustainability model. The project didn’t just drop infrastructure; it seeded ownership. Villagers contributed land, labour, or funds. Women were trained as barefoot engineers. Committees now maintain the systems years later. The creative here isn’t just the videos — it’s in making the community both the message and the messenger.