Hyderabad: Coca-Cola India is going rural in a big way. The company recently organized a series of cultural activities under the umbrella of ''Thums Up Sambaralu'' in 200 villages of Andhra Pradesh. The first such event was recently organized in Nagarkurnool of Mahaboobnagar district which attracted over 12,000 people from the surrounding areas.

The events comprised folk dances, skits and musical programmes designed to appeal to people of the region. Entry tickets were granted free on purchase of 600 ml bottles of any of the Coca-Cola products. Amit Jain, vice-president, regional operations said: ''Thums Up Sambharalu'' is our way of providing our consumers with an opportunity to come together and enjoy an evening full of fun and excitement. We are greatly encouraged by the response from the first event and we would be taking this to as many villages as possible and try to make it a periodic feature in each of the villages."