Sonal Dabral remembers Piyush Pandey: 'Larger than Life, full of heart, and always laughing the loudest'

For Sonal Dabral, one of Indian advertising’s most acclaimed creative leaders, the memories of Piyush Pandey come rushing back in waves — of laughter echoing through the corridors of Ogilvy, sleepless nights over storyboards, and a camaraderie that defined an era of Indian creativity.

“Single-handedly steered Indian advertising to global glory — and laughed the loudest while doing it,” Dabral wrote in his tribute to the man he fondly called Sirji.

In a note rich with personal recollection, Dabral painted a vivid portrait of Pandey not as a distant legend, but as a mentor, friend, and force of nature. “It’s hard to even begin,” he wrote. “Memories are flooding in — the loud laughter echoing through Apeejay House, the endless nights of work, the wild ideas, the pitches, the trips… and that ‘luxury backpacking’ holiday we did before Cannes. He’d said, ‘So what if we couldn’t backpack in our youth? We can do it now — just that the hotels will be five-star and the Eurail will be first class.’”

“That was him — larger than life, full of heart, and always laughing the loudest.”

Dabral, who rose through Ogilvy’s ranks under Pandey’s leadership, recalled their first meeting — a moment that would change the course of his career. “I first met Piyush when I came to Mumbai for a shoot with his brother, my NID friend Prasoon,” he wrote. “We were both working in Lintas Delhi at the time. He told Prasoon, ‘You and your friend are not staying in a hotel. You’re staying at my home.’”

“That night the three of us laughed and chatted till 1 a.m. And at 5 a.m., there he was — waking us up with two cups of tea he’d made himself, making sure we reached on time for our first big shoot. That’s who he was. Big-hearted. Spontaneous. Pure warmth.”

Dabral joined Ogilvy soon after that week — “when he offered me a job, I jumped at it” — beginning a creative partnership that would define the golden years of Indian advertising.

Pandey’s passing marks the end of an era in which advertising spoke not from ivory towers, but from the heart of India. He was the architect of Indian advertising’s soul, a man whose warmth and creative intuition elevated Indian brands to global recognition.

Over more than four decades at Ogilvy India, Pandey built campaigns that entered popular culture — Fevicol’s timeless humor, Cadbury Dairy Milk’s celebration of joy, Asian Paints’ emotional hues, and many more. His genius lay in simplicity — a principle Dabral himself acknowledged: “Thank you, Sirji, for teaching me that simplicity is the soul of great advertising — and that the best ideas come from our own lives, our own stories. And most of all, for reminding us to never stop having fun while doing it.”

Pandey’s funeral will be held Saturday, October 25, at 11 a.m. at Shivaji Park Crematorium in Mumbai, where generations of advertising professionals — many of them mentored by him — are expected to gather to bid farewell.

“Rest in peace, Sirji,” Dabral wrote in closing. “You will always live on — in your work, in your laughter, and in the countless stories you inspired all of us to tell.”