You made all Ogilvians feel like family: Disha Singh remembers adman Piyush Pandey

Disha Singh, an independent creative consultant who worked with Piyush Pandey at Ogilvy’s Kolkata and Mumbai offices, shares her personal memories of him. She recalls the qualities that made him truly unique and left a lasting impact on everyone around him.

How do you say goodbye to a guru who taught you the basics of creativity and life?

One feedback from you was a masterclass in itself.

Even that one small reaction you added to a character — right at the end of a work-in-progress TVC at the edit table — changed everything. You had that rare gift of seeing what no one else could, of catching life in its truest, simplest moments.

Your insights always came from how deeply you observed life — and life, I think, was your best teacher.

I’ll never forget the quiet way you guided us. When you thought I hadn’t quite cracked a campaign, you didn’t lecture. You just said, “Think some more” or “Push the team.” Those few words made us think harder, dig deeper, grow better.

I’ll never forget the time you saw me working late with a fever at the Calcutta office —  a bowl of hot soup suddenly materialised and I was informed it was courtesy Piyush. That was the other side of you — the warmth behind the brilliance.

You made all Ogilvians feel like family!

And oh, that laugh! That booming, unrestrained laugh that filled rooms when you loved a creative idea. Or the way you’d drive the Account Management team absolutely nuts when they couldn’t sell a great idea — because for you, nothing mattered more than the work.

I still remember the campaign I did for your Cal Ad Club talk — “Moochein hon toh Pandey Saheb jaisi hon.” The exaggerated moustache tearing out from both sides on the invite envelope had you laughing the loudest.

Your loud guffaw, your sharp eye, your kindness, your childlike joy in ideas — all of it will be missed.

Was so privileged to have worked closely with you, to have learned not just about advertising, but about life, people, and the power of grounded simplicity.

Rest well, Piyush Sir. The world feels a little less creative without you. You taught us Indians, kuch khaas hai hum sab.