Piyush Pandey and the art of connecting with India’s masses

In a casual banter at an industry event in 2008, this writer asked a bunch of young executives from India's advertising industry if they felt overwhelmed in the presence of creative legends from all over the world at an international event that they had just returned from.

- Archna Shukla

Pandey borrowed extensively from India's culture.

(ISTOCKPHOTO)

One of them pointed at Piyush Pandey and said: “Mere paas baap hai (referring to Pandey as the ‘father of Indian advertising’). Why should I be afraid?”

A reference to the iconic dialogue—“Mere paas ma hai”—from the Hindi film Deewar, this elicited a laughter in the group.

Pandey, who was part of the conversation, wasn't impressed. “Ye to udhaar ka hai...kuch original hona chahiye (this is borrowed; it’s got to be something original),” he said.

Pandey, who passed away at the age of 70 on 24 October, was an original raconteur.