Sidharth Rao shied away from the spotlight, even when he truly deserved to bask in it: Rubeena Singh on Rao
Rubeena Singh, Country Manager India & MENA, AnyMind Group, takes a trip down memory lane and remembers her former colleague and close friend Sidharth Rao for his humility, unconventional ideas and generous heart. Rao passed away due to a cardiac arrest last week.
“Rubeena, we have to meet up at Toto’s!” was Sid’s often repeated invitation when it came to meeting up in Bandra over a drink, recalls former colleague and friend Rubeena Singh, Country Manager India & MENA, AnyMind Group
Singh first met Sidharth Rao in 2013, when she was at Network18 and Rao (then founder of WebChutney) was also associated with the Network18 Group. Singh and Rao met at an award show where they shared the award for best content between Moneycontrol and ScoopWhoop. From then to 2016-2021, as fellow colleagues at Dentsu India, they worked together and interacted a lot.
“I always remember Sid as someone full of bright ideas, with a refreshing honesty, full of humility, a self-deprecating sense of humour and generous to the core - all of which made him an extremely likeable and trustworthy friend and colleague. In 2021, I moved out of Dentsu but we remained in touch, catching up in person and over the phone often,” shares Singh.
When Rao decided to return to his entrepreneurial roots and co-founded Punt Partners, one could easily notice the new found excitement in him, as he explained what he was trying to build. The other thing he was very excited about was the farmhouse he and his partner Shweta had set up in Karjat. “Everytime we met in Bandra or at an event or a social gathering, we would get an update about the farm. Little did I know that my maiden visit to his farm would be after he passed away,” rues Singh.
Coming from an army family, Rao was always respectful towards his parents, friends, colleagues and teammates. “He didn’t possess even a slight streak of arrogance despite winning so many accolades. On the contrary, he was slightly shy in public,” remembers Singh, adding, “He always saw the good side in people, was more than ready to give the credit to his team and his colleagues. He shied away from taking the spotlight, even when he truly deserved to bask in it.”
Singh remembers Rao for his less than conventional, instinctive style of leadership, and meticulous note-taking. “Whenever we had our Dentsu leadership meetings, I was always impressed by Sid’s meticulous notes and how he came up with ‘out of the box’ suggestions,” shares Singh. “His visionary leadership put WebChutney and Dentsu India on the creative world's map. Dentsu eventually went on to be known for winning India’s first ‘Agency of the year’ award at Cannes Lions.”
Singh says, “With Sid gone, India has lost one of its original internet startup entrepreneurs. With him gone, I have lost a friend and a confidant who was inspiring in the way he handled adversity."
