Dear Pradeep,

You were our Boss, always.

When the five of us Sundar, Bhaskar, Srini, Ramesh and me called to wish you that evening of your birthday on June 6th, we knew that you were in some discomfort but little did we know of its gravity. We spent that hour with you chatting about everything under the sun, but the champion that you are, you just did not allow yourself to burden us with what ailed you.

We have all been proud to be part of your team as you led that great transformation in those early years when we were at the Times. Amazingly, even as we and the many others moved on to take up newer challenges, in our eyes, you were still ‘The Boss’, our mentor and more than anything, a friend.

I have always marvelled at the facility with which you created your team, hand-picked those in whom you spotted a spark. And then you topped it off with an infusion of raw talent from outside the industry to create a blend of what became a motivated and hungry generator of ad. revenues. The raw unfinished talent that you nurtured, mentored and trained, emerged not only as polished and self-motivated professionals but as good human beings. That paradigm shift that we saw and experienced through you at the Times, also touched each one of our lives in countless ways.

Working with you was our privilege. The brilliance of your creativity, your eye for detail, your penchant for delegating with confidence and trust, made each one of us strive for excellence, simply by living up to the faith you reposed. Your benchmark was not always sales and targets but creating experiences and conceptualizing seminal products which have stood the test of time. The Filmfare and Femina events, or the Bombay Times parties - everything you touched had to be larger-than-life and spectacular! Yet there was nothing more endearing than the spontaneous after-work camaraderie and bonhomie at your place, sometimes letting us go only after the milkman came!

How seamlessly you related with your team was indeed learning and greatly inspiring. You cared and had everyone’s back, including mine, whenever any of us found ourselves at a cross-road. For me though, your strongest trait was of being forgiving of those that wronged you.

And even years after most of us had parted to different jobs and cities, it was no surprise that the Response re-unions were such a success. Over 200 of us from various parts of the country, some across continents, found just one reason to be there and that was ‘You’ - to experience, even if only for a few hours, the memories of being part of your team and relive those halcyon days.

Pradeep, your sudden departure has left a huge void that cannot be filled. It is providence that you were part of our life’s journey – something we will always cherish and treasure.