Shashi Tharoor Pays Tribute to Advertising Legend Piyush Pandey: Remembering a St. Stephen's Classmate

Renowned advertising legend Piyush Pandey passed away at 70 years of age, prompting a heartfelt tribute from Congress MP Shashi Tharoor.

Tharoor fondly remembered his St. Stephen's College classmate as someone overflowing with warmth, humor, and vibrancy, whose impact extended significantly beyond the advertising industry.

Taking to social media platform X, Tharoor shared a nostalgic photograph featuring the 1978 St. Stephen's College cricket team. The image captured a youthful Piyush Pandey seated in the front row alongside teammates, including former Indian cricketer Arun Lal.

Reminiscing about their college days, Tharoor expressed, "Devastated & heartbroken to mourn the passing of my dear St. Stephen's College classmate, the iconic adman Piyush Pandey. Before he gave a voice to modern India's brands, he was a Stephanian — full of life, laughter, and an earthy wit — and a pretty good college cricketer as well."

Pandey was widely celebrated as one of India's most influential creative minds. He was known for incorporating emotion, humor, and local cultural elements into his advertising campaigns. His innovative work not only transformed Indian advertising but also helped shape the cultural vocabulary of an entire generation.

In his tribute, Tharoor emphasized these distinctive qualities, noting, "His ad campaigns touched millions, but it was his earthy charm and incredible wit, as well as his simplicity and directness, that defined him."

The Congress MP also shared his personal grief at the loss, describing Pandey as "a legend and a truly warm soul."

Tharoor mentioned that he had already contacted Pandey's sister, Tripti, to offer condolences, concluding his message with the sentiment, "May they somehow find peace to bear this loss."

Piyush Pandey's illustrious career spanned nearly four decades. He served as the Chief Creative Officer Worldwide and Executive Chairman India at Ogilvy. After joining the firm in 1982, he began with a Sunlight Detergent advertisement before transitioning to the creative department, where he went on to create iconic campaigns for major brands including Fevicol, Cadbury, Asian Paints, Luna Moped, and Fortune Oil.

Under Pandey's visionary leadership, Ogilvy India dominated The Economic Times' Agency Reckoner rankings for an impressive 12 consecutive years.