My first memory of Piyush Pandey goes back to the mid-80s when we were introduced at a judging session of the Advertising Club Awards. He had me at 'kya haal hain?'
In the days when the advertising world was dominated by English-speaking creative directors, to hear an intimate greeting in Hindi endeared him to me. And since we were both judging Radio spots, we got to interact and discuss the merits of each entry at length. It was the beginning of a beautiful relationship; he was the mentor and I was thrilled to be able to learn from him.
I have been fighting a battle for Hindi and Indian languages in the English-obsessed advertising world since 1979, to the point where I was known as 'The Angry Young Woman of Advertising'. Meanwhile, Piyush was simply winning the battle, one beautiful ad leading to one victory at a time.
The 'Mile Sur Mera Tumhara' ad, written by Piyush's mentor Suresh Mallik, in which Piyush had a significant contribution, had already made a sensational impact on the advertising scene. It went on to spawn several follow-ups in various forms and continues to make people nostalgic.
Whether it was his initial Sunlight Ad, or the Asian Paints 'Homecoming' ad, which introduced AR Rehman and Shankar Mahadevan to us all; or the Hutchison Max pug that captured hearts (You and I in this beautiful world…), followed by the quirky Vodafone zoozoos, or the Cadburys 'Kuch khaas hai hum sabhi mein…' that became an anthem for spontaneity and straight-from-the-heart emotions, placing the brand centre-stage... or the unforgettable 'Purab se surya uga', which was a moving ode to knowledge, and, of course, 'Har ghar kuch kehta hai' for Asian Paints that got the pulse of the Indian home just right.
Piyush and I communicated often, and he generously allowed me to vent my frustrations about things while he soothed and advised me. Our meetings at the Ad Club judging sessions became precious occasions of learning for me.
He paid me a huge compliment when he saw one of my ad films in the early 90s and said, "Kaash ye maine likha hota!" It was an ad called 'Shubh Laabh' for Bank of America's NRI division, which went on to win many awards.
Piyush brought an endearing, real and insightful flavour of Indianness to advertising, which gradually turned the tide on what resonates with India. At one smoke-break during a judging session in 2003, he gave me a conspiratorial smile and said, "Haven't the tables turned? Today, if a creative director isn't proficient in at least one Indian language, he is considered severely impaired!" I looked at him in wonder, struck at the truth in those words!
Friends who have worked with Piyush talk of the magic finishing touch that he brought to everyone's work by suggesting that one change of expression at the end of an ad that made the critical difference. One friend told me about Piyush's compassion for an employee who made mistakes, but was the only earning member of his family. Yet another told me about how he ordered hot soup for her as she was working through a fever. These anecdotes reveal the warm, caring facets of a true leader that he was.
Piyush created a culture in Ogilvy—one of basing advertisements on real insights; of making a brand stand for an emotion that everyone could identify with. The creative teams that he groomed went on to lead other agencies, spreading the seeds of insights that were born from our soil—whether it was our brand of humour, our music, or our own style of masti and our way of expressing our emotions.
It is in this way that Piyush created an unforgettable, unbreakable and unshakeable space for himself in Indian advertising. A unspoken, unbreakable bond with colleagues, brands and audiences alike. Maybe he expressed it best in the unforgettable baseline of one of his ads, 'Ye Fevicol ka bandhan hai, tootega nahin!'
(Rekha Nigam is the owner of Sutradhar Media and Communications. She is a creative writer with over 35 years in the media and entertainment space, including 21 years in advertising, a short spell as programming head of a major television channel and a screenplay and dialogue writer of three Hindi feature films Parineeta (2005) and Laaga Chunari Mein Daag: Journey of a Woman (2007).)
Fiercely independent and pro-consumer information on personal finance.
1-year online access to the magazine articles published during the subscription period.
Access is given for all articles published during the week (starting Monday) your subscription starts. For example, if you subscribe on Wednesday, you will have access to articles uploaded from Monday of that week.
This means access to other articles (outside the subscription period) are not included.
Articles outside the subscription period can be bought separately for a small price per article.
Fiercely independent and pro-consumer information on personal finance.
30-day online access to the magazine articles published during the subscription period.
Access is given for all articles published during the week (starting Monday) your subscription starts. For example, if you subscribe on Wednesday, you will have access to articles uploaded from Monday of that week.
This means access to other articles (outside the subscription period) are not included.
Articles outside the subscription period can be bought separately for a small price per article.
Fiercely independent and pro-consumer information on personal finance.
Complete access to Moneylife archives since inception ( till the date of your subscription )
