Remembering Piyush ‘Earthy’ Pandey – The Hindu

I first met Piyush when he was just rising to stardom in the year 1997.

I was invited to Ranjan Kapoor’s home (the erstwhile Head of Ogilvy & Mather) for a party as Mr. Sunitha. My wife was handling the Cadbury business in O&M at that time. My wife introduced me to Piyush: “Piyush, meet my husband, Suresh. He is with Lintas,” and quick came the reply from Piyush: “Oh, but I thought you told me he was in advertising!”

Also read | Piyush Pandey taught me never to second-guess, says V. Sunil, creator of the ‘Make in India’ campaign

That was Piyush for you – quick-witted, cheeky, spunky, and combative.

I have, since then, had the opportunity of meeting him and interacting with him on several occasions throughout the last 25–27 years.

In my brief stint at Ogilvy & Mather as a planner, I played cricket for the O&M team and guess who my captain was. Well, you guessed right.

He was an avid cricketer and a good one at that. He played Ranji Trophy for Rajasthan during 1977–79. He was a wicketkeeper and batted one down. And his sledging skills were legendary.

I remember once – it was a CAG Shield semifinal against an agency called Trikaya (some of you may have heard the name) – and we lost two quick wickets at the top, and he sent me in three down. I stuck around, steadied the ship for a few overs, but could not force the pace. When I got out and came back, he barked at me, “Well played, but MC, BC, are you a stroke-less wonder?” I, of course, shrank into the dugout with my tail between my legs. Another example of how passionate, involved, and competitive he was. Incidentally, we won that match.

I am not going to go on and on about Piyush being a creative genius or about Fevicol, or Googly Woogly Woosh (Ponds), or ZooZoo (Vodafone), or Har Ghar Kuch Kehta Hai (Asian Paints), or many, many such wonderful pieces of work which have now become folklore and are enshrined in the archives of the advertising world. One of them, of course, was the Cadbury “Kuch Khaas Hai” commercial in 1993, based on his favourite subject – cricket. A young woman savours her chocolate while anticipating a six, and when it comes, she breaks all convention by running onto the field, unabashed and joyous. Almost 30 years later, that same ad was reinvented with the roles reversed — a woman batter hitting the six and her partner rushing in to celebrate — quietly signalling how Indian society has evolved. Now tell me, where else would you see an ad being reinvented decades later and still remain charming and relevant. That, truly, was the genius of Piyush — adjusting his strokes as the pitch turned with society.

He was a son-of-the-soil, sleeves-rolled-up, let’s-do-it kind of guy. He was focused, brimming with ideas, and constantly thinking about how he and Ogilvy could add value to the client’s business. He was a darling of all clients he handled.

Most CEOs and MDs of large MNCs would come to the ground-floor reception of the building to receive him and see him off post the meeting – a respect that he, on his own merit, and agencies used to command once upon a time. Now agencies are commodities, vendors, and suppliers – but that is for another day.

Today is about reminiscing about the incandescent Piyush Pandey. He was a powerhouse, yet very friendly; he was a giant, yet he would put a hand around your shoulder; he was combative, yet empathetic; he took Ogilvy to dizzying heights, yet at a personal level, he used to do a lot of pro bono work for good causes.

A couple of years ago, at a Sportstar Conclave, I was the moderator on a panel with him, Harbhajan Singh, and a couple of marketers who had invested heavily in cricket. I remember, while the two marketers were trying to get a word in sideways, Harbhajan and Piyush were having a blast on stage reliving some old memories (they had worked together in the past), and in his choicest Hindi, Piyush had the crowd in splits.

Having said that, I could even at that time sense his frail health and weak body. In spite of that, he agreed to be part of the panel because (I like to believe) I requested – no, pleaded – with him, and he actually travelled to Delhi with his male nurse.

It is also coincidental that Ogilvy has been the agency of The Hindu Group (my organisation) for the past 10 years. We had an agency review/pitch meeting at Chennai about a year ago, and while the whole Ogilvy team turned up physically, Piyush insisted that he wanted to be a part of the review and joined online. Piyush is the one who created the memorable Hindu campaign “Behave Yourself India, the youth are watching” some years ago and was very passionate about this account. Even in the review meeting, he was brimming with ideas and chomping at the bit to get in with some great work for us.

That was the involvement and passion of the man.

The advertising industry has lost an icon, but he has left behind a body of work and a legacy that will far outlive most of us.

Piyush ‘Earthy’ Pandey has transcended the earth today, but he remains in our memory as a man who would always shoot for the stars.

Published – October 24, 2025 11:48 pm IST