Business: Piyush Pandey, a veteran of the advertising world and popularly known as Adguru, passed away on Friday. Pandey, who designed famous advertisements like Fevicol, Cadbury and Asian Paints, was 70 years old. Pandey himself wrote the famous song Mile Sur Mera Tumhara in the 90s. Piyush Pandey was suffering from infection. His last rites will be performed at Shivaji Park in Mumbai at 11 am.

Piyush Pandey became the voice of Indian advertising
Piyush Pandey had been working in the advertising industry for almost four decades. He was Ogilvy’s worldwide chief creative officer and executive chairman in India. Pandey joined Ogilvy in 1982 and wrote his first advertisement for Sunlight detergent. Six years later, he joined the creative department of the company and created notable advertisements for brands like Fevicol, Cadbury, Asian Paints, Luna Moped, Fortune Oil and many more. Under his leadership, Ogilvy India was ranked the No. 1 agency in an independent survey for 12 years running. Pandey has won many awards. He was also awarded Padmashree in 2016.

Stepped into the world of acting
Pandey also ventured into acting and worked in the film “Madras Cafe” starring John Abraham and the Magic Pencil Project videos (a marketing campaign by ICICI Bank) in 2013. Pandey wrote the song “Mile Sur Mera Tumhara”. This song was a timeless song promoting national unity and diversity in the country of the 90s, which reached every household in the 90s through television. Pandey also wrote the script of the famous film “Bhopal Express”.

Finance Minister also paid tribute
People from business, advertising and political world paid tribute to Piyush Pandey. In a post on Sitharaman said, “Had the opportunity to interact with him on various occasions. My heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and the entire creative fraternity. His legacy will continue to inspire generations to come.”

Uday Kotak said – Piyush leaving is sad
Uday Kotak, Founder, Kotak Mahindra Bank, said, “It is sad that Piyush Pandey leaves us. He started Kotak Mahindra Bank in 2003 with a vision to make banking ‘common sense’. He was a wonderful, innovative and humble person. He brought creativity to the Indian context. We will miss him.” Calling Pandey his “dearest friend”, writer-columnist Suhail Seth said, “India has lost not only a great advertising mind, but also a true patriot and a great gentleman. Now even heaven will dance to ‘Mile Sur Mera Tumhara’.”