More Power To You, Ram Sehgal!

When the Advertising Agencies Association of India awarded this year’s AAAI Lifetime Achievement Award to legendary adman Ram Sehgal last week, there was an outpouring of nostalgia and gratitude from many of his former colleagues whom he had mentored at Contract Advertising.

RAM MADE YOU FEEL THAT YOU COULD DO MORE; WITH HIM AROUND, YOU WANTED TO ACHIEVE MORE...

Ram Sehgal is the single biggest driving force behind all that I’ve achieved with Contract. Indeed, Ram was the reason why I never left Contract and proudly kept at the journey for about 13 years in my first stint with Contract. And if not for that amazing foundation, it wouldn’t have been possible to go on to head the agency in my second stint at Contract.

I remember when I had first joined Contract Bangalore. Things were not ideal. But it was Ram’s affection and belief in me that made me feel I could turn things around. I remember when Ram had first taken notice of me and my work. I had designed a calendar which I thought was great but, of course, which the client had bounced. However, I was eager to show this calendar to Ram when he had come to the Bangalore office on one of his occasional visits. For some reason, my boss back then didn’t want to share this piece of work with him. But I remember this clearly: later that evening, after all the meetings, Ram had made sure to come to my desk and ask about the work I was so excited about. This signalled to me that Ram was a friend of creative. And each time he visited us in Bangalore thereafter, he brought the same enthusiasm for creative.