Rainco Umbrellas - Lotus Foot Prints...

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The Story...

There was a small country in what is now southern Nepal that was ruled by a clan called the Shakyas. The head of this clan, and the king of this country, was named Shuddodana, and his wife was the beautiful Mahamaya. Mahamaya was expecting her first born. She had had a strange dream in which a baby elephant had blessed her with his trunk, which was understood to be a very auspicious sign to say the least.

As was the custom of the day, when the time came near for Queen Mahamaya to have her child, she traveled to her father's kingdom for the birth. But during the long journey, her birth pains began. In the small town of Lumbini, she asked her handmaidens to assist her to a nearby grove of trees for privacy. One large tree lowered a branch to her to serve as a support for her delivery. They say the birth was nearly painless, even though the child had to be delivered from her side. After, a gentle rain fell on the mother and the child to cleanse them.

It is said that the child was born fully awake. He could speak, and told his mother he had come to free all mankind from suffering. He could stand, and he walked a short distance in each of the four directions. Lotus blossoms rose in his footsteps. They named him Siddhartha, which means "he who has attained his goals." Sadly, Mahamaya died only seven days after the birth. After that Siddhartha was raised by his mother’s kind sister, Mahaprajapati.

Inspiration...

Tradittional Sri Lankan Vesak Lanterns symbolizing the 7 Lotus Flowers.

“All the Vesak decorations along the street made me realize that these are just shapes that have been identified as a certain type of lantern. They have built a shape and call it a Lotus Flower not that it resembles the real thing, but rather how people chose to see it. So I thought to myself why can’t we take an umbrella and use that shape to be reminiscent of a Lotus Flower?”

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CREATIVE IDEA & CREATION

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Awards...

The Chillies - Sri Lanka Advertising Awards 2006 - Best of Show

The Chillies - Sri Lanka Advertising Awards 2006 - GOLD Award - Integrated Communication : Ambient

The Chillies - Sri Lanka Advertising Awards 2006 - Finalist - Print Single : Corporate Image Category

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The Chillies Awards Book 2006 - Published on the Book Cover