When the world was busy thinking of ideas, Piyush taught the world how to feel them. He felt ideas, and cried when he saw something emotional. He laughed when he saw something funny. He got teary eyed when he saw something beautiful. He felt stories and words. He felt visuals and designs. Because Piyush felt for people, a quality extremely rare in Advertising. Piyush felt what the masses felt, and knew the heart of India, the pulse of India, and the Indian heartland. The reason why no other creative or no other agency could touch the hearts of consumers in a similar way was because Piyush’s ideas were not cerebral, they were heartfelt, and he built an organisation that mirrored his heart.
I was fortunate enough to work with him on brands closest to his heart - Asian Paints, Madhya Pradesh Tourism, and Rajasthan Tourism. What I learnt in those years will guide me forever. I often tell him, I am his Eklavya, always following him, even from afar. Like me, there must be many Eklavyas following in his footsteps. But without following your heart, I think you cannot follow in his footsteps. Then again, to have a heart as big as his, is an impossible task. We can attempt to create campaigns that might mirror his body of work, but to be a Piyush Pandey, you have to create an organisation and an industry that mirrors your heart. The reason why there can never be another Piyush Pandey ever is because no one can have a heart as big as his.
He is the heart of the Indian Advertising Industry.
He has created the heart of Indian Advertising.
He is not just Ogilvy, he is Indian Advertising.
Piyush is what he wrote for Madhya Pradesh Tourism -
He is Hindustan Ka Dil!
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