‘Will let you know, KP,’ messaged Arun Nanda every time I messaged to see him…’

And when I finally got to see him on September 7, 2025 at 11 AM, he was conspicuous by his absence. Of course, his body was there but what was not there was what he embodied for me and Arun Kale during the late 70’s, all of 80’s and 90’s when we worked on some pathbreaking campaigns—he embodied freedom, courage and a risk-raking ability others would term ‘recklessness’, or worse.

Arun Nanda always pushed me and Kale to the creative precipice but he made sure we did not fear crossing it because he was also our safety net.

In 1974, I was Associate Creative Director at Grant Advertising which was perhaps the 5th largest advertising agency in the country that time. I saw a few ads for Bush Calculators done by Rediffusion and I thought, my God, these are the kind of ads I should be writing. I was scheduled to go home to Allahabad on my well-deserved holiday, my train ticket was booked, but I couldn’t resist calling Rediffusion office at Ready Money Terrace for an interview.

At the interview, Arun and Ajit promptly gave me a copy test! To the Associate Creative Director of the 5th largest advertising agency in the country!! That takes courage if not downright rudeness. But I did not mind. I was directed to contact nearest Arun Kale who was just behind the glass partition where Arun and Ajit used to sit. I had known Kale from our J.J.days, we started gossiping when Arun knocked on the glass partition to check on my copy test. The copy test was for the launch of Bush Clock Radio.

Kale and I had worked on five concepts in 20 minutes but what had caught my attention was the road divider Kale had drawn on his drawing board. I took a pen and on the left side of the road divider, wrote ‘Bush proudly introduces its first Alarm lock’ and on the other side of the road divider, ‘And by sheer habit, they have added a radio to it’. Kale plastered the scribble on the glass partition for Arun to see it. Arun saw it and called the client.

In a few minutes, the scribble was in art work and I was hired with two conditions--I would be paid less than what I was getting at the 5th largest advertising agency as Associate Creative Director and I would have to cancel my holiday because Rediffusion had been called to pitch for the Red Eveready account, competing against the four top advertising agencies. Mercifully, I was asked what title I would like on my visiting card. Since I was the only writer, I asked them to put anything—Copy Supervisor, Copy Overseer, Copy Superintendent, whatever. They chose ‘Copy Chief’. And of course, Ajit took me to an Udipi dhaba downstairs for a corporate lunch! History is often made with lesser spectacular moments.

At the Red Eveready pitch, instead of selling, Arun began by unselling campaign after campaign that we had created for Red Eveready. He unsold four of our campaigns till the client gave up and pleaded with Arun, ‘Please tell us what you would like us to buy’ because they had liked all the four campaigns, one better than the other! And then Arun presented the final Red Eveready campaign that Kale and I had created. Unselling your own campaigns? Unheard of in advertising. But whatever Arun did was unheard of.

Not only us creative team, even account servicing team caught the same freedom, courage and risk-taking attitude from Arun. At a pitch meeting for Lakme, the client Mrs. Simone Tata had been used to seeing beautiful models in fashionable colour dresses selling nail enamel and lipstick. But we had gone with a campaign in black and white saying ‘Is it bad to look good?’, attacking the taboo against make up among middle class Indian women. Mrs. Simone Tata hated the campaign but our Account Supervisor Vishwanathan went on selling it. Mrs. Simone Tata could not take it anymore and exploded,’ Mr.Vishwanathan, I do not like to see your face!’ ‘It doesn’t matter if you do not like to see my face, Mrs.Tata,’ countered Vishwanathan fearlessly, ‘But this is the campaign you are going to buy!’ And Mrs. Simone Tata bought the campaign which went on to win several awards at the Ad Club and I got my first ‘Copywriter of the Year’ award which was instituted by none other than Lakme!

Arun was infectious. Right down to our lone peon John who had the enviable 100% hit record of selling a campaign because when we could not find an account servicing person available to take a campaign to the client, we would often ask John. And John would return with the client’s OK on the campaign because Arun had built such a reputation for Rediffusion among clients that rejecting a Rediffusion campaign meant you do not understand creativity.

I understand why Arun kept postponing every time I messaged to see him…he had been sick for a very long time. He probably did not want me to see him physically in such a state. I respected his wish and never pushed too hard. But I am not going to miss him. The freedom, courage and risk-taking attitude he infected us with continues to drive me in whatever I do. But what I am going to miss is his message, ‘Will let you know, KP…’