Ramesh Narayan was done with the ad world at 50
The brain behind ‘Bhavishya-Yaan’, he knows his priorities and sticks to them
He has been variously described as an advertising professional, a photographer, a writer and a farmer. But Ramesh Narayan is quite clear that his first love is writing.
“I would have opted for a career in journalism but in the early 1980’s journalism was not really a paying career and advertising seemed to be a fascinating place to be in. And since I wanted to write, copywriting seemed to be a good option.”
In the course of a 23-year stint during which he founded and ran an advertising agency called Canco Advertising, Ramesh occupied almost every leadership position in the advertising industry – including President of the Advertising Agencies Association of India and the Advertising Club, Bombay; he also represented the industry in international professional associations.
But he did not lose touch with journalism and wrote regular columns in Mid-Day, The Indian Express, The Sunday Observer, DNA, Business India and The Hindu Business Line.
After bagging a slew of creative and other awards, Ramesh decided to wind up his advertising agency in 2006 at the age of 50 “to keep a promise he had made to himself”.
Since then he has been running an organic farm off Bangalore, doing some communication consultancy,
writing columns and actively associating with many good causes.
“I’m lucky I can devote all my time to my hobbies, my passions and my family,” he says.
The first thing he did after withdrawing from the hectic pace of the advertising industry was to write a book, “Reflections: The Marketing and Advertising World Around Me”, which was critically acclaimed.
He retains his contacts with the advertising industry and is still on the managing committee of the International Advertising Industry.
Recently, he drove what has been hailed as the largest public service campaign attempted by the advertising industry in India to raise awareness and money for Dr. Rajendra Pachauri’s Lighting a Billion Lives project.
Ramesh is married to Devi, an American citizen who grew up in the USA, did her electrical engineering from the University of Pennsylvania and who has a Masters’ in Engineering. She worked in the avionics industry in the USA and with Tata Consultancy Services after she married Ramesh and moved to India, before deciding to devote herself to the joys of motherhood.
They have a son, Ishan, who is studying in Campion School and will shortly appear for his 10th standard exams. “Devi and I need a well-earned holiday after that” says Ramesh, tongue firmly in cheek.
An avid shutterbug who is also smitten by wanderlust, Ramesh carries his camera along whenever he travels and records what he calls “fleeting images” which are compiled into an annual calendar and sent to his friends every year. This personalised greeting has been his hobby for more that 18 years now.
Incidentally, Ramesh used his photographic skills to hold a widely-acclaimed exhibition in aid of an NGO called Alert India. He holds the landscapes of Maui in Hawaii and the lunarscapes of Mansarovar in Tibet as the most vivid images his lens has been privileged to capture.
A member of the Board of Directors of the Rotary Club of Bombay, Ramesh takes active interest in Community Service activities and is a member of the Education, Public Awards and Bulletin Committees.
Not many members have registered the fact that Ramesh Narayan is the brain behind the pioneering Bhavishya-Yaan project which is helping change the lives of children from less privileged backgrounds and studying at the ill-kempt municipal schools in the city of Bombay.
Ramesh has his heart in the right place, he knows his priorities and he sticks to them.