Running from October 11 to 20, 2026, Pulse Ka Pandal 2026 aims to engage participants across India through immersive, gamified experiences that make festival participation more contemporary and youth-friendly. Each experience combines culture, personalisation and gamification, drawing on the significance of the respective festival while encouraging deeper consumer participation.
The campaign features three distinct experiences under the themes 'Pulse of Tradition', 'Pulse of Shakti' and 'Pulse of Victory', each designed around a different festive celebration.
Under the 'Pulse of Tradition' segment, dedicated to Navratri, participants can dress digital characters in festive outfits, accessories and Dandiya elements. The experience offers a contemporary, cosplay-inspired way to express the spirit of Navratri through digital participation.
For Durga Puja, the 'Pulse of Shakti' experience allows participants to virtually create and personalise their own pandals. Users can select designs, decorative features and cultural elements to build unique digital pandals, bringing the creative aspects of the celebration to an interactive platform.
The Dussehra experience, titled 'Pulse of Victory', invites participants to take aim at a virtual Ravan. Each target represents a negative habit or personal trait that participants wish to overcome. The experience concludes with a personal pledge to leave the selected habit behind, drawing on the festival's broader symbolism of the victory of good over evil.
Pulse candy campaigns have consistently used technology not merely as a media channel but as a means of making India's cultural occasions more participative and relevant to a new generation. With Pulse Ka Pandal 2026, the brand is extending this approach through advertising technology, gamification, personalisation and immersive digital experiences that allow participants to engage with traditions and make them their own. A select few participants will also receive rewards through the campaign.
Speaking about the initiative, Mr Arvind Kumar, Senior General Manager, Marketing, Confectionery, DS Group, said, "Pulse Ka Pandal has grown into a festive IP that sits at the heart of our Pulse of India commitment. Rather than treating festivals as occasions to communicate, we have created a space where young India can discover, take part in and express these traditions in their own way. Whether it is getting ready for Dandiya, building a pandal or making a pledge this Dussehra, the celebration always comes first and Pulse Candy is simply a part of it."
By bringing three culturally distinct festivals and three gamified experiences together on one integrated digital platform, Pulse Ka Pandal 2026 reinforces the brand's ambition to remain culturally rooted while embracing a future-facing approach. The campaign celebrates the Pulse of Tradition, the Pulse of Shakti and the Pulse of Victory, connecting India's festive traditions with the participation preferences of the new generation.
The initiative reflects DS Group's continued focus on using technology to encourage consumer participation in cultural celebrations, positioning Pulse Ka Pandal as a digital platform through which audiences can engage with Navratri, Durga Puja and Dussehra in personalised and interactive ways.
About DS Group
The DS Group (Dharampal Satyapal Group) is one of the leading FMCG conglomerates and a multi-business corporation with a strong presence in India and international markets. Founded in 1929, the Group's business journey combines a long-standing legacy with growth driven by its vision for the future.
Its extensive and diverse portfolio spans food and beverages, confectionery, mouth fresheners, hospitality, agriculture, luxury retail businesses and other investments. Catch, Pulse, Pass Pass, Silver Pearls, Ksheer, Rajnigandha, Ovino, L’Opera, Le Marche, Birthright, LuvIt, Chingles, Golmol and Namah are among the leading brands in its portfolio.
The Group is guided by values rooted in collective good, with a focus on giving back to society and protecting the planet. The DS Headquarters has received Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certification under the USGBC (US Green Building Council) Existing Building Operations and Maintenance (O&M) programme, version 4.0. It has also received LEED Zero Carbon Certification from the USGBC.
DS Group has aligned its financial performance with global environmental, social and governance (ESG) priorities through the launch of a pioneering Double Materiality Assessment across all its businesses. Further demonstrating its environmental initiatives, the Group has a water positivity index of 1.8 across its business units at 30 locations in India.
For further details, visit www.dsgroup.com.
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