Hard to believe Piyush Pandey’s laughter is now only in memory. What a remarkable era—a man who made work feel like life itself. One for whom emotion was strategy and simplicity.
Piyush made a generation believe that you can be yourself—rooted in your culture—and still create work that connects with everyone. He showed us that being real, being emotional, could be your biggest strength, not something to hide behind polish.
Stayed true to his uniqueness
I remember once at Cannes, we were sitting in one of those buses going to the venue. Out of nowhere, he started humming a Rajasthani folk song, And then one by one, he made the entire bus full of different nationalities join in. He was proud of who he was and wore it like a medal. He never pretended.
Work is where you are
Piyush believed in getting his hands dirty. He never cut corners. I’ve been with him at family functions, we’d sit on the side cracking ideas and then join in the festivities.
Our work ethic was in sync. Our timings differed though. I still recall his very early morning calls after working late into the night. His voice booming with a chirpy “Kahan ho Tiger?” That work ethic has stayed with me and manifests in my current work life too.
Also read: Piyush Pandey was among the greatest storytellers. He showed India the mirror
Piyush and family
In a time when families often drift apart, Piyush made sure his stayed close. His family reminded me of our old joint families from storybooks—his proud brother and friend Prasoon, his amazing sisters, his nieces and nephews and wife Nita. They were all part of our world of communication.
He learnt that sense of sharing and togetherness from his mother, who he often spoke about with great love. That was something that connected us deeply—our love for our mothers. We would sometimes sit late into the evening, talking about them, getting teary-eyed. Those are moments I’ll always hold close.
Piyush was about celebration—of life, of people, of stories. He believed that what we create can shape popular culture, can make people feel proud of who they are. He always encouraged me to bring my rooted authentic side into the mainstream, to never be apologetic about being emotional, rooted, or real.
There used to be this misconception—especially among those of us from smaller towns—that the language we spoke at home didn’t belong in agency corridors. Piyush changed that. He told everyone to use the language, to blur the line between who you are and what you create.
A walk I’ll never forget
Recently while walking on the promenade in Cannes, I asked him, “At this stage in life, what would you tell me?”
He smiled and said something simple—the kind of thing only he could say. “Don’t change the authentic you.”
It reminded me of my own song — ‘Rehna tu hai jaisa tu.’ We kept walking, slowly, both of us humming.
Farewell, Piyush—the ad world will forever carry your signature and magic and in so many of us your authenticity and laughter will echo forever.
Prasoon Joshi is a poet-songwriter, communications professional and screenwriter. He is the current Chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification. Views are personal.