A joint initiative by Eyebetes Foundation and Godrej Consumer Products Ltd
Mumbai, 28 February 2025: For over 125 years, Godrej has led the way in India on being Good and Green. Upholding this commitment, the group’s FMCG arm – Godrej Consumer Products Ltd (GCPL) has consistently driven impactful social initiatives. The company’s social programs like Project EMBED (Elimination of Mosquito-Borne Endemic Diseases) have been dedicated to preventing and controlling malaria, positively impacting 28.4 million lives across Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh since 2016. GCPL achieved a historic milestone in 2024, by getting featured in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI), ranking among the top 3 global FMCG companies for sustainability.
Building on this commitment, GCPL joined forces with the Eyebetes Foundation, a charitable organisation dedicated to creating awareness about diabetes and preventable blindness, to introduce the ‘Undekha Eye Test’, a unique eye vision testing that required people to read alphabets on the back of naga sadhus. This free eye check-up camp is created at Triveni Sangam site of Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. Conceptualized by Godrej Creative Lab, the in-house creative studio of GCPL, this unique initiative turned Naga sadhus into living eye vision testing charts, with bold Hindi letters painted on their bare backs in Devanagari script, transforming them into powerful ambassadors for vision awareness.
India is home to nearly 100 million diabetics, of which over 60% remain undiagnosed. Diabetes is also the largest cause of preventable blindness. As one of the world’s largest religious gatherings, Maha Kumbh Mela saw an influx of over 60 crore devotees. GCPL and Eyebetes Foundation introduced the ‘Undekha Eye Test’ at Maha Kumbh Mela bringing this critical issue to the forefront using India’s deep-rooted traditions to connect with people in a meaningful and memorable way.
Partnering with the revered Naga Akhara, the initiative provided free eye screenings and diabetes tests while distributing over 50,000 free eyeglasses to pilgrims and police personnel. Staffed with over 100 personnel, the Eyebetes camp has served over 40,000 people and making it one of the largest public health efforts at Kumbh 2025. For the naga sadhus, this was more than just a medical initiative—it was a spiritual duty.
Sudhir Sitapati, Managing Director and CEO, Godrej Consumer Products Ltd (GCPL), said, “Kumbh is a mela of big brands and big spends. To get people’s attention on a shoestring budget was a challenge. But in that challenge, the team found an opportunity to partner with the naga sadhus. For the first time ever, the naga sadhus, found it in them to support a social cause. As science and spirituality shook hands, the awareness drive encouraged over 50,000 people to get checkups in just 10 days, and the queues continue to grow.”
“The naga sadhus are only seen publicly at the Kumbh every 12 years. They’re worshipped, revered and most importantly, stared at by everyone. So, we thought-why not turn every stare into an eye test. The Nagas were our spiritual influencers, the likes of which no brand in the world has ever seen before” said, Swati Bhattacharya, Global Head of Godrej Creative Lab, the in-house creative studio of GCPL.
Dr. Nishant Kumar, Founder, Eyebetes Foundation, said, “For me, the cause of preventable blindness is deeply personal. Diabetes-related blindness is preventable, yet millions remain unaware until it’s too late. Bringing vision tests to the Maha Kumbh in a culturally resonant way turned awareness into action. We witnessed naga sadhus deliver a message that could indeed change people’s lives. We are thankful to Godrej Consumer Products for supporting the cause with a creative approach and amplifying the message to a wider audience. Sudhir Sitapati of Godrej Consumer Products believed in the cause of Eyebetes and put his creative team behind us to device this Naga sadhu Undekha Eye Test campaign which helped us reach lakhs of pilgrims at the Mahakumbh. This is a perfect example of people who share a concern for humanity working together selflessly to impact lives.”
The Maha Kumbh, which attracts millions of pilgrims, served as the perfect setting for this visual intervention. The impact of ‘Undekha Eye Test’ will extend beyond the Maha Kumbh. Striking photographs of naga sadhus sporting vision tests on their backs will now be turned into posters and distributed across temples and ashrams nationwide, ensuring continued awareness. By leveraging India’s deep-rooted traditions and cultural influencers in an innovative way, ‘Undekha Eye Test’ connected deeply with people at one of the world’s largest religious gatherings.
