Guest Column: Right-Brained Citizen Blog#2: 'Thank you, Jambavan'
"After a few years in the business, I realized that I encountered Jambavans every day. People who wore the metaphorical bear suit and came to work," says Leo Burnett’s Sainath Saraban

There was a buzz just before it began. Chores were done in a hurry. Breakfast consumed rapidly. No interruptions were allowed. None occurred any way. Streets were deserted. The silence was uniform. And elbows and knees grazed against each other in a room where 40 pairs of eyes stared at the television screen waiting for it to begin.
This was the era of Ramanand Sagar’s ‘Ramayan’. I was hooked to the show. Just like a 100 million others.
I was already a mythology junkie having been brought up on a healthy diet of Amar Chitra Katha, bedtime stories narrated lovingly by my grandmother, and compulsory viewing of Indian mythological cinema in the bug infested Devi Talkies in my hometown of Srirangam. With legends like NTR and Sivaji Ganesan playing Lord Rama, Krishna, Shiva, the experience was truly divine.
So, when Ramayan hit our little Solidaire TV sets, I was overjoyed at the opportunity to watch an epic unfold slowly (sometimes too slowly!) and dramatically.
Mesmerised I watched Rama with his beatific smile, Sita with her nasal twang, Lakshman with an expression of constant road-rage, Hanuman with his Punjabi accent and Ravana with his demonic laughter and multiplying heads.
The arrows that took several episodes to collide, the songs that burst on to the scene and slapped you awake in case you’d nodded off and the really bad post-production which one forgave magnanimously.
Outside of the show, these characters had become huge stars and were mobbed, worshipped and revered. People touched their feet, offered them prayers and sought their blessings. These people had become Gods.
But if there was one character, which stayed with me, it was Jamabavan. The king of bears, who helped Lord Rama vanquish Ravana and bring Sita back. Maybe it was something to do with his attire, or the fact that I didn’t know what the guy inside that bear suit looked like. The actor who played Jambavan intrigued me.
More than his character in the show, what really amazed me was this combination of fame and anonymity. I still don’t know who he is and believe me I’ve looked.
Here was an actor, who wore a bear suit under the hot, harsh lights and played such a small yet pivotal role, only never to be recognized in public.
While every other major actor on the show went to enjoy the trappings of fame, this man wouldn’t be recognized if he sat next to you on a bus. Even though a 100 million people saw him week after week, he continued to remain invisible to the world. As a naïve child the only thought that crossed my mind was, ‘How could he be so selfless, so true, so invisible?’
After a few years in the business, I realized that I encountered Jambavans every day. People who wore the metaphorical bear suit and came to work. In and around my office, the locations where I shot my films, the studios I recorded my music in, and just about everywhere. There were these amazing people who brought as much dedication to their craft as one who would be in the spotlight. People who took pride in knowing that good work was happening and that’s all that mattered. It didn’t matter that in a process that involved dozens of people, one or two walked away with the recognition.
The strategy guys who show us the path, the account guys who are truly unsung and often forgotten, the sound engineer, the lighting guys, the list is endless. Their work becomes famous yet they remain anonymous. These are the Jambavans of my world.
Look around you and you’ll spot some Jambavans too soldiering on tirelessly, pursuing a collective dream.
Stop for a bit and notice them. You’ll see why they’re so vital to it all and why we can’t do without them. They complete our story.
So if there were one thing I’d like to say to them it would be, “Thank you for suiting up. Without you there would be no epics.”
Sainath Saraban is NCD at Leo Burnett. He loves Samurai Manga, beer and Indian cinema among a million other things. He is very glad that he is right-brained and left-handed, and not the other way around.
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E4M Our strategy is to target younger audiences through Sports: Rajiv Dubey, Dabur
The Head of Media at Dabur India spoke exclusively to exchange4media on the World Cup, associating with Indian Idol, the company’s digital spending and much more
With quirky campaigns, memes and moment marketing, timed with the ongoing World Cup and particularly the India-Pakistan matches, Dabur India has got considerable consumer attention for its popular brands – Red Paste, Cool King Hair Oil, Chyawanprash, Dabur Vita and the recently launched Bae Fresh Gel toothpaste.
The 140-year-old company is going big on key sporting events, World Television Premiere (WTP) movies and reality shows. It is now gearing up to become the title sponsor of popular talent show ‘Indian Idol’ on Sony TV for the first time, shared Rajiv Dubey, who leads the media strategy at Dabur.
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Swapan Seth's new book 'COOL' is out
The book is a reflection of the author's 'eclectic taste across categories'
Advertising professional and art collector Swapan Seth has announced the launch of his new book COOL. The book is described as "a ready reckoner to the hip and the happening, of the known and the very unknown."
The book is a reflection of the author's "eclectic taste across categories: from boltholes to exotic hideaways."
COOL has been published by Simon & Schuster India and is available on Amazon.
Seth is an ad veteran with a long and illustrious career in the industry. He became the youngest-ever Creative Director at Clarion at age 24. He was VP at 26 at Trikaya Grey. Two years later, he started his agency Equus.
He writes for publications such as The Economic Times, Hindustan Times and India Today. This is his second book and he has previously published THIS IS ALL I HAVE TO SAY.
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Disney Star signs 9 sponsors for Asia Cup PAK
Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up come on board
e4m Staff Disney Star has signed nine broadcast and digital streaming sponsors for the upcoming Asia Cup.
Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up have come on board for the upcoming tournament.
As reported earlier by exchange4media, Disney Star has sought Rs 26 crore for the co-presenting sponsorship on TV and Rs 30 crore for Disney+ Hotstar.
According to industry sources, the associate sponsorship on Star Sports has been priced at Rs 19.66 crore, whereas for the ‘powered by’ sponsorship on Disney+ Hotstar, the broadcaster is seeking Rs 18 crore.
As per the information available with exchange4media, Disney+ Hotstar has three sponsorship tiers-- co-presenting (Rs 30 crore), powered by (Rs 18 crore) and associate sponsorship (Rs 12 crore). The broadcaster is offering an estimated reach of 120-140 million for co-presenting sponsors, 90-100 million for powered by and 60-70 million for associate sponsorship.
A spot buy for 10 seconds has been priced at Rs 25 lakh for the India vs Pakistan matches, while for the non-India matches, the ad rate for 10 second is Rs 2.3 lakh. The India matches plus the final for ODIs has been priced at Rs 17 lakh per 10 seconds.
Asia Cup is scheduled to be held from 30 August, 2023, to September 17, 2023.
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Sorted 360 wins creative & social media mandate of Reliance Mall
The agency will manage offline and online campaigns for Reliance Mall
Sorted 360, an integrated creative and social media agency, has won the mandate to providing brand solutions for Reliance Malls across India.
“Sorted 360 is set to enhance Reliance Malls' market presence with their unparalleled creative prowess and strategic thinking,” read a press release.
“Sorted 360's commitment to pushing the boundaries of creative communication aligns perfectly with Reliance Malls' ethos. With a pan-India presence spanning across 19 cities and growing, Reliance Malls has consistently captivated customers by offering an array of Reliance brands and third-party fashion & lifestyle brands. The mall has established an unparalleled connection with its patrons through superior quality, a remarkable value proposition, and an unmatched shopping experience,” it read further.
"We are thrilled to welcome Sorted 360 as our trusted partner in advancing our brand presence across the nation," said the Head of Marketing at Relaice Malls. "Their proven expertise in retail, shopping center management, and innovative creative strategies make them the perfect fit for our vision."
"Partnering with Reliance Malls is a testament to our commitment to shaping extraordinary brand experiences," remarked Prerana Anatharam, Co-founder of Sorted 360. "We are excited to leverage our strategic and creative acumen to further elevate Reliance Malls as the epitome of convenience, choice, and excellence."
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KlugKlug onboards Hemang Mehta as Country Manager for Indias
Mehta was most recently Head of Agency Relationships at Network 18 Media & Investments
KlugKlug has appointed Hemang Mehta as its Country Manager for India.
Mehta will play a pivotal role in driving KlugKlug's growth and expansion within the Indian market and be responsible for Sales & GTM Strategy
Prior to that, he has also represented organisations like Exponential (now VDX.tv), India Today Digital and Rediff.com. His expertise spans various domains including digital media sales, mobile marketing, media planning, and buying, social media marketing, and more.
Hemang Mehta expressed his enthusiasm about joining KlugKlug, saying, "I am thrilled to be a part of KlugKlug, a forward-thinking platform that is reshaping the influencer marketing landscape. As much as I look forward to collaborating with the exuberant team at KlugKlug, I am super excited to interact with the brands to deliver powerful data-backed Influencer solutions that will guarantee business outcomes."
Commenting on the appointment, Kalyan Kumar, Co-Founder and CEO of KlugKlug, stated, "We are excited to welcome Hemang Mehta to our team as the Country Manager for India. His extensive experience in digital media sales and marketing will be instrumental in driving our efforts to provide influencer marketing solutions to our clients. We believe Hemang's leadership will be key in scaling our operations and expanding our reach within the Indian market."
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