Piyush Pandey - Pandeymonium

Contents

1. re

& Me

To my late parents, Indra Narayan Pandey and Bhagwati Pandey, for giving me the opportunity to actualize myself. Im also grateful to them for giving me a family of seven sisters and a brother who added values and nuances to everything Im proud of today.

I wish my parents were around to read this book.

I pray that it is available in Gods Library.

*

On the professional front, I would like to dedicate this book to my late boss, Suresh Mullick, who discovered and adopted me in the creative department of Ogilvy. Suresh trusted me enough to get me to write the lyrics of his masterpiece, Mile sur mera tumhara.

Foreword

There are perhaps no days of our childhood we lived so fully as those we spent with a favourite book.

Hundreds of books on the subject of advertising are released almost every day. But there are some that stand the test of time and remain required reading.

Pandeymonium, Piyush Pandeys book on the subject, is one such book.

If you have a passion for the art and the ability of communication or anything related, start digging into this book for great ideas. Piyushji has written his book in a laid-back, informative manner, filled with examples of powerful and effective creative briefs. My knowledge and experience in this line being questionable, I found myself drawn to the subject almost trance-likethat is how easy and enjoyable the read was. Entertaining, with stories about his experiences in the industryno heavy academic theoryit is about how society is becoming smarter and how our brain is evolving to prepare us for the future.

Those just getting into the business will find a step-by-step guide in here to every aspect of advertising. For those already in this line, the book will not only make you laugh and cry, but help you pick up tips and reminders that may make you an even better creative professional. It is a vivid memoir of Piyush Pandey, which, you will concur in time, is a gem meant to be placed on the Ogilvy bookshelf.

The rules for parents are but three: love, limit, and let them be. Piyushji, as a parent of the advertising world, teaches us in this book to love what you are doing, to know your limitations, and when to let things be.

Advertising is his home, a home where respect for space and honest engagement are at the core; they make for a strong anchor for the family to be a happy commune, explaining how things work, have cause and effect, all in the day-to-day tasks of working in this field.

There is a clear respect and appreciation for the written word in this book; holding it, you feel like turning its pages with anticipation, finding a favourite bookmark to treasure, and reading it aloud during quiet moments.

One might like to think that with focus, determination and hard work, one can orchestrate the perfect outcome for all situations, but life, with its menu of complexities, will most certainly deal a hand you were not anticipating. It is how one deals with this type of situation that makes all the difference.

The books that help you the most are those which make you think the most. The hardest way of learning is by way of easy reading, and Pandeymonium is that ship of though t, deep freighted with truth and passion for its subject matter.

This book does not require an audience with a certain skill set or one that has to make an effort to consume the product. It makes you understand and feel understood as well. It is the precious lifeblood of a master spirit. The further you delve into it, the more it begins to make sense.

It confirms the belief that one book, one pen, one child or one teacher can change the world. It is the axe for a frozen sea.

My own personal experiences in working with this most vibrant mind have been educative and enlightening. I do believe that those who read this book would have a similar sentiment.

I extend my most fervent wishes to Piyushji, not just for this reading, but for the continuation of his effervescent presence and delightful companya rarity in todays times!

26 August 2015

Amitabh Bachchan

Preface

I can never forget that freezing cold, winter morning in Jaipur when I was five years old, waking up at five to a deep and melodious voice singing, Chidiya choon choon karke boli bhor nikal kar aayee kya, bitiya padi bichhona pooche, Amma chai pakiyi kya. In English, this verse translates to: Little birds are chirping as the sun rises / my little baby, tucked up in her bed, asks, Mother, is the tea cooked?

The voice that rang through the house belonged to my father; the target audience was my mother. The verse was created spontaneously, provoked by my sister asking my mother if the tea was cooked.

Cooked tea? Sounds strange? My father didnt correct my sister, choosing to go with the flow.

Each morning in Jaipur was equally magical, as my father almost serenaded my mother with poetry made up on the spur of the moment, in response to something he had just seen or heard. This morning, the inspiration was my sisters use of the word cooked with tea. It could have been anything else, like birdsong, the weather, smells from the kitchen, the colour of the sky, or the pattering of rain.

This is how the day began for my eight siblings and me. My fathers daily dose of childish, impulsive and entertaining verse was our wake-up call. Compare this to the jarring sound of the modern-day alarm clock, and Ill take the cooked tea any day. One by one, as we woke up, we would rush to the kitchen, get a cup of tea and find some room in a corner of our fathers quilt for an early morning snuggle and hug. As we sipped on the tea, he would recite poetry peppered with analogies that taught us simple things about life. My mother would be in and out, serving tea continuously, and chipping in with her own creations or with corrections to fathers verse if she believed that he had got it wrong.

As I think back on those wonderful mornings, I feel that these were my kindergarten lessons in communication. Whatever you say, say it with respect for the audience, say it in a context that the audience can understand, say it spontaneously, say it without fear, say it not to intimidate or frighten, but to delight.

Whatever you say, say it with respect for the audience, say it in a context that the audience can understand, say it spontaneously, say it without fear, say it not to intimidate or frighten, but to delight.

All through my career, whenever I am in need of inspiration, I transport myself back in time to that cold Jaipur winter morning, and to the same rhyme about the cooked tea.

Its my rhyme that I share with you in this book. I hope you enjoy it, and find your own rhyme. The special rhyme that stays with you, the special rhyme that takes you to a special place, the special rhyme that inspires you with energy, optimism and joy.

EVERYONE AND EVERYTHING AROUND YOU IS A TEACHER

I Was Born in a Creative Factory

Every creative person is the result of the environment in which he or she was brought up. All that you imbibed right from the age of one or two, the people that you are associated with, family, friends, the house help, everyone makes you what you are.

My family has been the core of my existence. It was a family of eleven peoplemy parents, my seven elder sisters, my younger brother and me. Yes, I know what you are thinking. We could indeed have formed our own cricket team. My late father, Indra Narayan Pandey, who retired as a government servant, played a significant role in my development as a creative person. He, too, was one. He was a gifted artist, doing theatre, participating in debates and writing poetry. Unfortunately, he couldnt pursue the arts because he had a family to look after. While he was a reasonably accomplished artist, he was a very poor entrepreneur, having run a small trading business and lost his entire investment in the business. Forced to work to sustain the family, he took a government job. In addition, he used to teach English to the royalty in Jodhpur to stretch his income. He was an extremely well-read man with a love for both English and Hindi literature. If that wasnt enough, he embraced great poetry, as a result of which our house regularly hosted poetry recitals.