“To Piyush Pandey, the man who made stories and friendships stick"
A legend in ads, a mentor in life, and a friend in every sense- Piyush Pandey leaves behind a legacy of stories and relationships.
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It’s hard to find words for someone who gave words their power.
For most people, Piyush Pandey will always be the first name in Indian advertising - the man who redefined storytelling, who gave brands a soul and people a reason to smile. But for me, he was so much more.
I first met Piyush almost 14 years ago, and even then, it wasn’t his towering stature in advertising that overwhelmed me - it was his warmth. What connected us went beyond our shared love for this mad, beautiful industry. It was sports. He, a former Ranji player; me, someone shaped by competitive martial arts and, later, long-distance running. That shared discipline, that shared hunger, built a bond that only grew stronger with time.
We’ve spent hours over chai and single malt, talking about everything under the sun - ads, people, cricket, life. But one memory stands out.
January 2014 - the Effie Awards. I told him I was running my second Mumbai Marathon that Sunday. He smiled and said, “I’ll come to cheer you.” I laughed it off, thinking it was one of those things people say.
But two days later, there he was — at the Yes Bank signal near Shivaji Park, 7:30 am sharp, waving as I ran by. I stopped, surprised. He said, “I saw you running on TV and thought I’d come to run a hundred meters with my moholla neighbour.” He didn’t stop at a hundred. He ran with me all the way till the end of Shivaji Park. It was humbling. Overwhelming. Purely Piyush.
Over the years, our bond only grew stronger -Fevicol ka majboot jod, as he might’ve said. Beyond my own mother, he was the one person who watched my show every weekend. His feedback was always honest, always sharp, never sugarcoated.
Our last conversation was just a month ago. He called me at 9 am on a Saturday - typical Piyush — to scold me. “You’re covering too much tech and AI,” he said. “Don’t lose touch with core storytelling.” That was him - forever reminding us of what truly matters.
Today, I feel I’ve lost a friend. A neighbour. A mentor. Almost family.
