The boy from Jaipur who made India laugh, cry and remember

New Delhi: Piyush Pandey passed away at the age of 70. Itt isn’t just an industry that is mourning him, but the country. 

For more than four decades, he had spoken to India in its own language, through laughter, heart, and honesty. His moustache, his booming voice, and his sparkling eyes were as iconic as his campaigns. But behind that larger-than-life image was a man whose journey from Jaipur to the top of the global advertising world was as humble as it was inspiring.

The Jaipur boy with big dreams

Born in Jaipur in 1955, Piyush Pandey grew up in a large family that believed in education, sports, and simplicity. His father was a teacher, and his childhood was filled with cricket, creativity, and curiosity. He studied at St. Xavier’s, Jaipur, and later at St. Stephen’s College in Delhi, where he was more known for his cricketing skills than for writing.

Before advertising happened to him, Piyush was a professional cricketer. He even represented Rajasthan in the Ranji Trophy and captained the St. Stephen’s team. But as destiny would have it, storytelling found him in a way cricket never could. After a short stint as a tea taster in Kolkata, a job he often joked about, he joined Ogilvy & Mather in 1982. That decision would change not just his life, but the way India advertised forever.

The rise of a homegrown creative voice

When Piyush entered advertising, the industry was dominated by Western sensibilities, polished English, foreign faces, and slick sophistication. But Piyush was different. He brought in the colour, chaos, and character of India. He believed ads should sound like real people talking, not like copywriters selling.

At Ogilvy, he climbed through the ranks with nothing more than his instinct for observation and a deep love for people. His breakthrough came with the Cadbury Dairy Milk commercial in the 1990s, the unforgettable moment when a young woman dances her heart out on a cricket field. That ad changed the way brands spoke to Indians. It was relatable, warm, and unpretentious, much like Piyush himself.

From there, he went on to create a body of work that would become advertising folklore: Fevicol, Asian Paints, Vodafone, Pulse Polio, Indian Army, Luna, SBI Life, Tata Steel, and more. Every campaign carried his DNA, strong ideas told in simple words, rooted in Indian reality.

The world at his feet, but India in his heart

As Ogilvy India’s Executive Chairman and later the Global Chief Creative Officer, Piyush became the face of Indian creativity on the global stage. He was the first Asian to chair the Cannes Lions Film Jury in 2004, a Padma Shri awardee in 2016, and a two-time recipient of the Asia-Pacific Ad Person of the Year title.

Yet, he wore his success lightly. Ask anyone who worked with him, and they will tell you that Piyush never saw himself as a global ad man. He was an Indian storyteller first. He often said, “If you don’t respect your own people, you can’t expect the world to respect you.”

Even at international forums, he spoke in his trademark Rajasthani accent, cracking jokes and sharing truths about creativity, humility, and heart. He never lost his roots, not in language, not in style, not in soul.

The mentor who believed in chaos and curiosity

Inside Ogilvy, Piyush was more than a leader. He was a teacher, a friend, and sometimes, a storyteller with endless cups of chai. He believed great ideas could come from anywhere, from a junior, a driver, a client, even a passerby.

He encouraged people to watch life, not just television. “Go out, see how people talk, eat, laugh,” he would say. “If your idea can make your mother smile, it’s a good ad.”

His leadership was built on warmth, not fear. Many of today’s top ad professionals across agencies proudly call themselves students of Piyush Pandey. They speak of his ability to simplify complicated briefs, his quick laughter, and his belief that advertising was not a business but a form of human connection.

A legacy of emotion, not just excellence

Piyush Pandey’s ads didn’t just sell; they made people feel. His voice still echoes in campaigns like Har Ghar Kuch Kehta Hai, Mile Sur Mera Tumhara, and Do Boond Zindagi Ki. His humour still lives in Fevicol’s witty worlds. His warmth still flows through Cadbury’s simple joys.

He showed that advertising could be local and still win the world’s attention. That emotion could be more powerful than celebrity. That storytelling, when done honestly, could move both hearts and markets.

In a world now obsessed with algorithms and data, Piyush’s work remains a reminder that advertising is, at its core, about being human.

He was the man who laughed the loudest, encouraged the youngest, and stayed the most curious. His moustache became a symbol of Indian advertising confidence, and his ideas became timeless pieces of India’s growing-up story.

Piyush Pandey’s journey, from a Jaipur boy with a cricket bat to the man who gave voice to a nation, is the story of a life well-lived. He didn’t just make ads; he made India believe in its own stories.

And long after he is gone, those stories will keep playing in our homes, in our hearts, and in the laughter of every ad that dares to feel like us. Because, as one of his favourite taglines once said, “Mazboot jod hai, tootega nahin.”