Missing Viru: A heartfelt tribute by former ad man and popular Bollywood writer, Kamlesh Pandey
Celebrated art director Virupaksh Hiremath breathed his last on April 5 in Bengaluru; one of his closest friends Pandey writes about the man behind the genius
Virupaksh Hiremath, Viru to all of us from the Class of 1969 at Sir J.J.Institute of Applied Arts, is no more. Gold Medalist from the Class of 1969 and much awarded by CAG and Ad Club for his enviable work as well as the Art Director of the Year many times, Viru is no more. On April 5, 2017 at around 3:30AM in Bengaluru, he breathed his last, leaving not only his family and friends but all the designs he could have visualized and created…logos, symbols, campaigns, brochures, labels, packaging, posters and hoardings, with an original Viru stamp, will be waiting for him forever to finish them. They will now never be finished. They will never know his precise touch, his bare, almost minimal style, the innovative way he played with space within a frame, the subtle colours he allowed to sneak into his work, it is all history now. Glorious history but history nonetheless. Indian advertising and design will remain a little poor without Viru.
There is not enough space to talk about his work so I will stick to only the personal stuff.
Viru Hiremath was the name of our collective envy because not only his work, even his personal daily life was so beautifully and perfectly designed and colour coordinated. His house wherever he lived, his clothes, the buttons on his shirt, the shape of his collar, the fall and pleat of his trousers, his shoes, his hair right down to the streak of grey (in later years) were so perfectly designed and colour coordinated, we used to often tease him about it. This was too much, a man needs a little bit of chaos, imperfection, disorganisation. How could a man have everything around him, his work and his life so well designed and coordinated? Because we were more like rolling stones, anything and everything was cool for us. We often analysed Viru’s perfection that may be because he a has everything—-an incredible portfolio of work, the most beautiful wife Surekhaji, two lovely kids Mahesh, a renowned advertising photographer, and Archana, a homemaker and contemporary dancer, who proves herself to be as much of a son as Mahesh, a house which is any art director’s envy, three equally wonderful grand daughters and a son-in-law Dr.Manoj Bharucha who was there for him 24x7, looking after not only his health but his finances and investments too which gave Viru financial independence to sustain his lifestyle and generosity towards his loved ones. As if blessed with such a family was not enough, he was also blessed with friends like us who envied him, loved him, admired him, felt proud of him, looked up to him, learned from him, worked with him, applauded his every award and teased him, pulled his leg, joked at his expense and enjoyed his hospitality. Yes, Viru was our collective envy which spiced our friendship as much as sweetened it.
I never called him Viru unlike my other classmates, I always called him ‘Hiremath Saab’ which he often resented because it made him look older. But older he was. In 1965, when we rolling stones entered Sir J.J.Institute of Applied Arts in the 1st Year, we had just passed our SSC or 12th but Hiremath Saab had already done his graduation before he came to JJ. Not only had he done his graduation, but he was already married when our pimply gang was still ogling at girls from a safe distance. And not only married but the day I met him for the first time in JJ, he confided in me that just that day he became the father to a son! Yes, his son Mahesh was born on that day. And Hiremath Saab made me promise to keep his secret, especially from the girls in the class!
From July 1965 till April 5,2017, which, either by sheer coincidence or by some divine design, also happened to be his birthday…his 76th, we had come a long way. Straddling careers in advertising, often freelancing together,doing some landmark work. I had left JJ in 1967 to become a struggling copywriter because if I couldn’t be as good a visualizer as Viru, it was better to be at least a better copywriter. Then I changed gear and started moonlighting as a screenwriter in Bollywood. But the friendship continued.
What haunts me now are not the memories of 52 years of our friendship but Viru’s absence from all the future events that are going to happen in my life. He won’t be there for them. The movies and television shows I am going to write, my family functions like weddings and birthdays, his frequent phone calls, the reunions of the Class of 1969 of Sir.J.J.Institute of Applied Arts, meals at each other’s house, gossip, laughter, pranks, pulling legs, jokes, parties that he loved, they are all going to be without Viru because by taking away Viru, death has taken away the future. Perhaps the future will be there one way or other because nothing stops for anybody, but it won’t be the same without Viru.
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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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ShareSwapan 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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