The coastal city of Kochi, facing the Arabian Sea and interspersed with water bodies, has chosen blue for its publicity campaign. From New Year’s day, light blue will be Kochi’s official colour. Berger Paints, the sponsors of the ‘One Kochi, One Colour’ campaign, has come up with a new shade of blue named after the city: the Berger Cochin Blue.
Like the Pink City of Jaipur and Blue City of Jodhpur, the City Corporation of Kochi wants to be identified with blue. The drive, a part of the Mission Clean Kochi, aims to highlight the city’s maritime past and present.
One KochiOn Tuesday, Malayalam film actor Mammotty kicked off the drive. Walls and fences along selected roads in the Fort Kochi area will be painted with Cochin Blue in the coming week.
Initially, Berger will sponsor the paint, which costs around ₹3 lakh for a km. The painting initiative will be expanded to cover other parts of the city later.
The Corporation has encouraged the residents to paint their walls, fences and houses; and Berger has agreed to supply Cochin Blue at a reduced price. The city administration has banned bill boards, graffiti and advertisements on walls along the roads as well as at public places in the city. It has selected 27 public places where ads and publicity materials can be displayed.