Businesses never shy of taking advantage of an occasion or event that can provide a boost to their products.

As festive season is all set to start in India, businesses are bracing themselves for the opportunity. Emami has partnered with as many as 100 Dugra pujas pandals in Kolkata where the company's Healthy & Tasty edible oil will be used in preparing the bhog. In return, Emami will get the right to advertise its products at pandals, which will attract huge crowds of devotees.

Aditya Agarwal, the Kolkata-based FMCG giant's director, said that the initiative would help the company reach out to more than 1 lakh consumers and build up its brand.

Emami is not the only company that has an eye on Durga Puja bhog to promote its products. Many other businesses like Dabur are also trying to take advantage of the upcoming opportunity. Dabur has plans to dole out 125-ml packs of its Real brand of fruit juices to devotee at various pandals.

Commenting on the peculiar development, brand specialist Santosh Desai said, "Festivals in India have got highly commercialised and companies look to get value in return, but branding a bhog could be crossing the line."

At this year's Kumbh Mela, consumer goods giant Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL) served branded rotis, each of which was encouraging people to wash hands with the company's Lifebuoy soap before and after meals.