bigbasket’s Modak Meter gets Mumbai’s volume up for Ganpati Bappa

bigbasket brought a new dimension to Mumbai’s Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations with its Modak Meter, an interactive on-ground activation that invited Mumbaikars to put their festive enthusiasm to the test with a resounding “Ganpati Bappa Morya!” Held at Carter Road, the activation saw more than 5,000 people engage with the experience over two days, with over 10,000 attempts recorded. The loudest celebration reached 120 decibels.  

The life-sized modak-shaped sound meter became a festive challenge for visitors, who stepped up to the installation and shouted “Ganpati Bappa Morya!” into the meter to record their score. Participants who crossed 90 decibels took home curated goodie bags featuring a mix of snacks, beverages and personal-care products from brands including Wow!, Open Secret, Tata Coffee, Ching’s Secret, Tetley, Bagrry’s, Wagh Bakri, Nissin and Plum.  

The idea was built around a familiar part of the festival. While people may not remember every word of an aarti, “Ganpati Bappa Morya!” is a chant that almost everyone knows and joins in. bigbasket used this shared expression as the starting point for an experience that could be understood and enjoyed instantly, without requiring participants to know anything beyond the words they have heard countless times during Ganesh Chaturthi. 

The response quickly turned the Modak Meter into a spectator activity. Friends and families gathered around to cheer participants on, while some returned for another attempt to better their earlier score. Around 30% of participants received bigbasket goodie bags.  

“Ganesh Chaturthi in Mumbai has an energy of its own, and the sound of ‘Ganpati Bappa Morya!’ is one of the most recognisable parts of that celebration. We wanted to build an experience around something people already know and naturally participate in. The Modak Meter gave them a simple way to bring that enthusiasm to life, while the response from the crowds made the activation even more engaging. It was particularly interesting to see people cheering for participants they had never met and coming back to try and beat their own scores,” said Arpit Jaiswal Chief Growth Officer, bigbasket. 

The Modak Meter was part of bigbasket’s wider Ganesh Chaturthi campaign, which brought its festive assortment into the celebration. Consumers could shop for a range of festival essentials on the platform, including puja items, modak ingredients, sweets, fruits, flowers, and other relevant categories. 

The activation was conceptualised in partnership with Bare Bones Collective, the creative agency partner for the event, with MOMS Outdoor serving as the execution partner.