THE WEEK ARCHIVES | Piyush Pandey: Remembering the wizard of ads

Advertising industry legend Piyush Pandey passed away in the early hours of Friday, his family said, at 70.

Pandey, who was the brain behind several iconic ad campaigns, breathed his last at 5.50am on Friday at a private hospital in Mumbai, said his sister and actress Ila Arun. He was undergoing treatment for respiratory complications. His last rites will be performed at the Shivaji Park crematorium at 10.30am on Saturday, Ila Arun added.

He was awarded the Padma Shri – the country's fourth highest civilian honour – in 2016.

Pandey was featured in our MAN OF THE WEEK section in the issue dated July 7, 2002. Here is the original version of the article from our archives.

He spun the golden magic at the Oscar of the ad world Piyush Pandey must be twirling his trademark salt-and-pepper moustache with a deep sense of satisfaction. The adman can well afford to do that after his recent splendid show at Cannes Lions '02. Piyush, Ogilvy & Mather's creative director and group president in India, bagged two golds and a silver in the 49th edition of the advertising festival, dubbed the Oscar of the ad world. "It is good for the Indian advertising industry and will give a tremendous boost to our credibility at the international level," said Piyush, 47.

Soon after he predicted big things for the Indian advertising industry, news trickled in that home appliances giant Singer had asked O&M India to handle its international campaign. It was Piyush's anti-smoking campaign for the Cancer Patients' Aid Association which won him golds in the print and poster categories. He got the silver for the Fevicol television ad featuring an 'overloaded bus'; no gold was awarded in this category. O&M's sister agency, Contract, also won a gold in the direct marketing category for its ICICI Bond Mela campaign. "Indians are being recognised," said Piyush. "Reactions from all over the world have been fantastic. Next year, I want more youngsters to bag awards."

Piyush's creative genius has helped O&M become the most awarded ad agency in the country. At Asian Awards 2001, it won two Best of Shows. His print ad for Pepsi won the grand prize at the London International Awards. An alumnus of Delhi's St Stephen's College, Piyush attributes everything he has achieved in life to his parents, the late banker-poet Indranarayan and Bhagwati. Piyush was a first-class cricketer -he captained Rajasthan in the Ranji Trophy in the late 70s - before he turned a tea-taster in Kolkata. He also had a stint as an account executive before he joined O&M.

“Piyush was our darling because he was the first male child in the family," said sister Ila Arun, a name to reckon with in the Indipop world. His arrival meant that the sisters could stop tying raakhis on outsiders! From early childhood he loved outdoors and Ila recalled that he would play cricket late into the night till he got a spanking from his parents. “He loved flying kites and would chase them for miles,” she said. “Once, Piyush came home from college with a gold medal. We assumed that he must have got it for cricket or swimming as he was good in both. We were surprised when he told us that it was for javelin throw!"

Ila's daughter Ishita, the khichh-khichh girl in the Vicks ad, is Piyush's favourite niece. Now a B4U channel veejay, Ishita is all set to make her big screen debut as the female lead in Kahan Ho Tum. "As a three-year-old, Ishita loved cheering Piyush-mama when the O&M team played cricket at the Azad Maidan on Sundays,” said Ila, who is one of the earliest professional ad makers in the country. It was Ila who introduced Piyush to the ad world when she gave him a chance to sing the popular jingle she composed for Jhago Soaps.

Behind every successful man is a woman, so goes the adage. And the woman in Piyush's life is Nita, a vice-president in O&M, whom he married two years ago. "She works with me, not under me," he clarified. And she was by his side with Piyush's brother Prasun, also an ad world hot shot, and sister Tripti at his moment of glory at Cannes. "The recognition I got means that our craft is getting better and slicker," said Piyush. "Our ability to communicate through advertising with the rest of the world is growing at the international rate. This could truly open up doors of opportunities for all of us."

Ila best explains her brother's success: "We are from a middle- class background and Piyush knows the pulse of this class, which is the biggest chunk of consumers. People can immediately relate to his message in any advertisement." The middle-class influence can be seen even in his food habits: he loves Rajasthani meals and simply relishes parathas with buknu (dry chutney).

Advertising is not the only thing Piyush is passionate about. He has had an equal success on the big screen. The Bhopal Express, a feature film he wrote on the Bhopal gas tragedy, received critical acclaim at the recent Berlin Film Festival. He has also adapted Walt Disney classics like Aladdin and The Lion King in Hindi. The Piyush family-Piyush, Nita, a Labrador called Babe and a Golden Retriever called Sunshine - recently shifted to a plush residence at Shivaji Park in Mumbai, which has been entirely done up by Nita. "At home he does what he is told, others are the bosses," quipped Ila. Piyush would love that line.