MTV and Parle create junkyard art

The Parle-MTV Dunk That Junk project has used colourful graffiti to convey anti-littering message.

Music channel MTV, along with Parle, has launched the 'The Junkyard Project', which aims to tackle the problem of littering, a common practice in India. The project will use the 'dumping ground' to communicate the anti-littering message.

Dump trucks will be initially deployed across Mumbai and Delhi, sporting colourful graffiti with the message Dunk That Junk. The colourful dump trucks will be a persistent reminder of the existence of undesignated dumping grounds across cities. The initiative is being promoted on air along with an interactive push on social media.

Inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Swacch Bharat Abhiyaan, the initiative has MTV partnering with Vizeum to leverage star power on social media with videos featuring celebrities. These videos are being promoted through #DunkThatJunk. Celebrities who have participated in this project include Shah Rukh Khan, Farhan Akhtar, Varun Dhawan, and Sonam Kapoor.

Sumeli Chatterjee, head, marketing, media and insights, Youth Entertainment, Viacom18 Media, says, "#DunkThatJunk is gamification of the concept that junk should be dunked inside the dustbin. The simplicity of the concept coupled with interactive presentation is the key reason why these videos spread like wildfire and draw heavy participation by Bollywood and TV celebrities."

MTV claims that the videos have so far garnered over 1.5 million interactions. Vizeum is the agency behind #DunkThatJunk campaign.

Speaking about the initiative, Samarjit Rajkumar, executive vice-president, Vizeum India, comments, "It has been an exciting journey together with MTV in re-defining the Swacch Bharat initiative leveraging MTV's partner celebs to attract 6,000 user-generated videos in the first two weeks itself. We are now creating platforms for our audience to live this trend and subsequently, more platforms for them to share with their friends once they choose to be the advocates."

Giving the dump trucks a makeover is an extension of the Dunk That Junk initiative. The regular dumper trucks will sport colourful graffiti which scream Dunk That Junk in the dustbin. These colourfully-branded 'Ghanta Gaadis' were unveiled in the capital by Member of Parliament Meenakshi Lekhi, who was joined by Bollywood star Randeep Hooda.

The 300-college outreach aims to widen the footprint of action on ground.

Talking about the drive, Pravin Kulkarni, general manager, Parle Products, says, "Our litter-free campaign stands testimony to our endeavour in extending our support towards creating a clean and healthy society. Our aim in associating with this project is to take forward our efforts and reach out to and help our young consumers practise the art of cleanliness."

Check out what @Varun_dvn & @kritisanon did for their #DunkThatJunk challenge! Are you ready to take the challenge? pic.twitter..com/FMNlmix22U

— MTV India (@MTVIndia) December 22, 2015

Hey @MTVIndia here is my #DunkThatJunk ! #squadrann all day! First video https://t.co/kfuSfhif4K pic.twitter.com/arbOEp2zau

— Rannvijay singha (@RannvijaySingha) December 23, 2015

Supported by music, art and Bollywood celebrities, the project intends to transform the dirty junkyards into beautiful art-spaces.