Mumbai: I had heard a lot about PG but never had the opportunity to work with him, but when I joined ZEE met many who couldn’t stop talking about him and their experiences of working with him. I met him many years later at an Ad Club event and was struck by his enthusiasm and it rubs off on everybody. Many years later I met him again at the IAA Global Convention in Kochi, and he greeted me as if he had known me for years. That was the magic of the man. Pradeep Guha – The Legend I Know, the Coffee Table book is a collection of heartfelt tributes to the man who was a friend, mentor to people in the Media & Entertainment business.
A man who in his college days was a leftist college student activist who organised strikes against his alma mater, he along with a team set up the left-oriented Centre for Education and Documentation in Bombay, a valuable research resource for journalists. Guha then became the CEO of TOI and the Media & Entertainment Czar.
He revamped the Times of India, with innovations such as ‘Page 3’ and Medianet. He renamed the existing advertising department to Response and hired young smart professionals who were trained to go out to get new advertisers. The other innovations were the many awards, which included Miss India, Miss India World, and Filmfare. Notable names like Aishwarya Rai and Priyanka Chopra were groomed to participate in the Miss World contest abroad.
The foreword by John D’Souza talks about PG’s early days in college and their social service tasks. D’Souza puts it eloquently when he says, “For me, his free spirit was fully epitomised in his dance as if his spirit moved the music and his hips and every bone in his body. Every picture of him on the Facebook page, his visits to various places, reflects his free, curious and open spirit. Every story we heard, whether it was the Filmfare Awards or Miss Universe or the Cannes, reminded me of the dancing chalk on the blackboard – that lateral and lively approach – the boyish glee which ignited the most staid event”.
PG’s biggest contribution was his mentorship. There are dozens of beauty queens, many film stars and media professionals whom Guha moulded. From celebrating the sesquicentennial celebrations of ‘Times of India’ or the countless Filmfare Awards, Femina contests and other conferences and summits which he pioneered.
The book is a collection of eulogies from top Politicians to named personalities who worked with him on Miss India & Miss Universe, actors, actresses, the people who worked closely with him in various organisations and the doyens of the Advertising world.
Guha joined Bennett, Coleman and Company (BCCL), the publisher of The Times of India, in 1976 and was there for nearly three decades. He changed the face of ‘The Old Lady of Bori Bunder’ with his bold moves and innovations. He was the man who took India to the Cannes Lions and brought Ad Asia to India.
Aarti Surendranath fondly remembers the man, and says, “This was the man who transformed, rather elevated, every project he took on”.
PG visited Cannes Ad Film Festival in 1994, the year it was launched and was keen for the Indian ad industry to participate at the world level. Aarti goes on to say, “Pradeep turned the Cannes festival into a brand to be reckoned with; he moved Indian advertising to the international arena”. Today thanks to his efforts Indian advertising is a force to reckon with at the Cannes.
Ashish Bhasin has fond memories of meeting PG then when Bhasin was heading Lintas’ Initiative Media, and took permission to print the TOI front page at the back. He goes on to add, “Pradeep was a warm host, a visionary, tremendously connected and confident enough to reach anyone however senior. He could dream big, with feet firmly planted on the ground. Perhaps Shakespeare had Pradeep in mind when he wrote, “his life was gentle, and the elements so mixed in him that nature might stand up and sat to all the world. This was a man.” You will miss my friend till we meet again.”
Daksha Sheth, the renowned danseuse, has this to say about Guha, she says,” Pradeep Guha – A thorough gentleman. One of the very few people I know who did what he said. A lot of integrity. I was lucky to know him.”
Malayala Manorama editor & publisher Jacob Mathew, says, “He was versatile and daring in his thoughts and actions. His vision of brand building wrapped in creativity is something difficult to emulate. Effective communication by a unique route was his forte. He had a major role in presenting India to the global advertising fraternity.”
Mukesh Ambani in his eulogy says, “For me, The Bombay Times were a lot more than the glitz and glamour. While injecting the spirit of entertainment. Pradeep used his commercial acumen to create a 360–degree brand experience. He did the same by revamping the Filmfare Awards and Femina Miss India. He pioneered the art of monetising these experiences by reaching millions of homes through TV.”
After a 30-year-long stint in BCCL, he quit when he was still the President of the Times of India Group and a member of the Board of Directors. He joined as CEO of Zee Entertainment and launched the English Daily DNA in 2005. Punit Goenka has had a close working relationship with Guha. He goes on to say, “His calm demeanor, quick-witted replies and an extraordinary mind that had a solution to every problem, was greatly admired by all of us. I am proud to say that he played a key role in shaping me as a business leader, and it was his acumen to take companies to newer heights that inspired me to build a leading media and entertainment company.”
Eric D’Souza sums it up beautifully by saying, “Pradeep was fun–loving and adventurous, but there was a very serious side to him.”
The industry has lost a friend and mentor. It will be a long time before someone will be able to take over the legacy of a man called Pradeep Guha.
