Gods up there will soon sign him on for their much-needed branding: Sanjay Raina

The HT Leadership Summit, which began in 2003, was once an eclectic gathering of political heavyweights and corporate leaders. One of the highlights of the summit used to be the avant-garde dinner, a moment young professionals like us looked forward to after days and nights of back-breaking work organizing the event.

It was during one such dinner in 2004, at ITC Maurya Sheraton in Delhi, that a stunningly familiar figure walked in, Piyush Pandey. By then, most guests had left, except Imran Khan (yes, he was invited) and his secretary. As we animatedly discussed; what else,  Kashmir, Piyush made his way to the bar. I promptly greeted him, introduced myself, and we got talking.

This was my first ever meeting with him. We spoke about the summit, and soon the conversation turned to the impending launch of Hindustan Times in Mumbai. Ogilvy Delhi was our creative agency  and I do take some credit, along with my boss Anand Bhardwaj, for playing a role in appointing them. In his earthy, disarming style, Piyush asked a few questions. I distinctly remember one of them: “Why do people read newspapers?”

Our usual answer was, “To stay informed.” He nodded thoughtfully.

A few drinks later, he asked another pointed question: “What will make you stand apart in Mumbai, where The Times of India is a giant and you have Mumbai Mirror and what not?”

As usual, we, a group of three marketing guys,  gave some inane, half-baked answers. One of us even said, “Because our paper is linked to Mahatma Gandhi, he launched it, and the Birlas.” Piyush instantly knew the depth of our understanding.

After a few more drinks, he said something that has stayed with me ever since: “Your differentiation will come if you position yourself in the realm of guilt for others. As if others are commoners and you’ve come in to deliver higher and better value.”

The conversation ended there.

A few months later, we launched in Mumbai. The tagline was “Let There Be Light.” And what a powerful differentiation that was. Piyush knew exactly what had to be done.

About a year later, I accidentally ran into him while he was stepping out of his car in Kamala Mills. I darted across, stood in front of him, and instead of saying hello, I simply said, “Sir, let there be light.” He broke into a huge grin and hugged me. We walked off. I never met him again.

Here’s a toast to the original storyteller of India. The gods above will soon sign him on for their much-needed branding. Rest well, Sir.

Sanjay Raina is a media and entertainment industry veteran with stints at Discovery Channel, Columbia Tristar, Hindustan Times, Times Now, Ten Sports and Fox Netwoks. He is currently based in Dubai