It all began in the year 1950. India was young and the state of
Kerala as an independent state was not born yet.Urbanization had
just started walking with faltering steps and Advertising in
India especially in Kerala was not a familiar word yet.
It was in this era our founding father and a visionary Shri. N.
Madhavan introduced the concept of hoardings and other displays
in the state. He was a multi-faceted young man who came to
today’s Ernakulam in Kochi from the provincial Mavelikkara. He
was a painter, a political activist, and an entrepreneur – all
rolled into one. During his free hours he used to spend time at
the then headquarters of the Communist Party where he made
friends with political stalwarts like EMS, AKG, Jyoti Basu,
famed men of letters like Vaikom Mohd. Basheer, Changampuzha
Krishna Pillai, ONV Kurup and the like. It was one of them,
Vaikom Chandrashekharan Nair, who gave N. Madhavan the name for
his new venture – Chitra Painters.
Chitra Painters was Kerala’s first OOH provider and it was the
only one for 10 straight years since its inception. That head
start to Chitra Painters is still seen in its vast coverage of
sites across the State.
Being with the times and constant innovation made us the
unchallenged leader of OOH advertising in the state. From the
first hoarding in Kerala to a long line of many firsts we have
been instrumental in bringing revolutionary steps throughout the
history of Outdoor Advertising in the state.
