Anvar
Alikhan. One of the most creative brains of Indian Advertising passed
away on December 27, 2017. I have known him since the start of my corporate career
at Karvy and have bumped into him many times. What endeared anybody to
him is his affectionate persona, almost avuncular, which draws out the
best in you. Even with those unconventional grey-purple eyeballs, Anvar
was always enthusiastic and curious about everything in life and had
engaging skills to get the conversations going on and on. The last time I
met him was at a book launch party and I remember how inquisitive he
was about the roots of the Global Financial Crisis. Coming from an
Advertising Man, I was surprised he had such organic understanding of
the issues that engulfed the world economy in those gloomy years of
2009-10. He remembered me from my Karvy days as a banker and picked my
brains always but we never got down to serious business, which I regret.
"Are you ready?", he used to ask me and then I moved on to a new
assignment just as yet but he did tell me he was getting ripped off by
his bankers. I wanted to maintain a non-financial, intellectual
friendship with him though he asked me to come down to his office
several times; I valued that to be the greatest price than a banking
relationship. And I followed his body of work remotely as well as
through his network of friends in Hyderabad, many of them are too close
to me.
As a descendent of Jung family of aristocratic muslims, Anvar Alikhan has been an impeccable Ad professional who has combined the essence of his multi-faceted personality to deliver continuous value in media. He was the pillar of strength for Mindset EY before it got acquired by J Walter Thompson Associates and created some of the most memorable campaigns alongwith Santha John. He truly understood the process of creating a brand that lingers on long after you passed the signal where the bill board ran the campaign. Yashoda Hospitals is just one example of the beauty behind Anvar Alikhan's crusades. It started with a simple slogan: "We hope you never need us." Later, the campaign moved on to interesting and innovative best practices at Yashoda Hospitals but the advertising campaign always relied on delectable visuals with a crisp headline - it could be a robotic surgery, or the first lung transplant or new technology to quell kidney stones. Anvar's campaign built it up with visuals even a child can relate to - so the lungs were visualized as a broccholi and the kidney was an image of a cauliflower - stuff like that made his brand-building campaigns both fun and vivid. So many brands of Hyderabad and other cities from across industries - financial services, healthcare, pharma, utilities, entertainment etc were built by his agency with precision and impact. Many of them also won the plaudits - which is rare for an Ad professional. Like David Ogilvy, he knew the DNA of what makes a good brand ever-lasting.
In many informal meetings with him at media events in Hyderabad, I realized that Anvar's child-like curiosity was always building massive pigeon-holes in his mental library about anything. I remember at one of the book launches, three of us including Anvar were in a conversation about the markets and suddenly, he realized the third person was from the defence industry. For the next forty-five minutes, Anvar was thawing out information about the parts that go into a Bombardier jet with annoying details. He told me later that this is something that he is at the drawing board for a new signup and he needs to soak as much information as possible. Again, conversationalism at work but it shows that a master is always at work because insights can come from innocuous banter. He was also a regular at Derek O'Brien's Brand Equity Quiz and won several prizes almost single-handedly. Derek's quizes were not puritan but it helped Anvar's cause that he could work with both sides of the brain effortlessly to zero in on the Quizmaster's answers pronto. The screening of Cannes Awards was another annual do that brought out the gleeful ad enthusiast like a child to partake in a feast of ice-creams.
But did Anvar have life outside advertising? His close friends vouch that he has a richer life outside the Ad world - which is what makes legends tick. And Anvar’s creative juices never ran out of depth. He was an incurable quiz enthusiast that laid the foundation for all the insights and knowledge he acquired over a lifetime in advertising and travelling across the continents. Anvar used to write for the Outlook magazine, commissioned by Vinod Mehta, usually the travelogue page, the backpage; it was wide-ranging like covering a recent trip to Turkey or Lucknow or giving us trivia about some gastronomical delights. Anvar also edited few anthologies on Indian Advertising and Diaries besides writing many informative and encyclopaedic pieces for The Scroll about trivia – it could be about a lesser-known shareholder in Tata Sons who invested in a single share or about the nuances of India’s Biryani dishes or about Rushdie's anonymous years as an Ad executive. Anvar also covered some of the most famous Indians resident in Hyderabad or visiting the city in Channel 6 magazine as part of “Lunch with Anvar Alikhan”. Some of India’s famous fitness gurus, andrologists, chefs, artists and businessmen were profiled in these pieces which were quite a draw while the magazine played out. His writing style had a unique voice and detail-orientation without sounding laborious or pompous – blended anecdotal reportage with a connoisseur’s touch. Could have been crisper but the final reading left an impact - just as the man always did when you met him. He was gentle, convivial and in blithe spirits and curioser about everything around him. He knew the art of reclaiming conversation from anybody as long as he knew there is gold to be mined from the other side. His humor was also subtle and his manner of speaking was not impresario but persuasive. Friends around him never had a dull moment. He was planning a menagerie of bibliophiles and quizzers shortly but his lung infection took him away sooner. Ironically, one of the posts on his Facebook timeline was about an article written by Serish Nanisetti about why feeding pigeons can harm your lungs. These pigeons cost all of us dear because the infection spread from pigeons in his backyard.
Anvar was also at his best when it comes to curating aspects of Hyderabadi heritage, cuisine, or history. The only person who can beat him to it is the legendary Narendra Luther, IMHO. Anvar, truly, is a gifted personality who has enriched our lives and built a body of work that will endure forever – not only in advertising but in his writings, his anthologies and in the twinkle he kindled in many of his associates, mentees, friends and juniors. Not always an inveterate autograph-hunter, I was always going gaga when I spot Anvar in Hyderabad media events. He never missed an opportunity to catch an interesting event and stayed clear of controversies of whatever variety bred from narrow minds. One of my high points was when I discussed the book of memoirs by the legendary copywriter Neil French “Sorry for the Lobsters”. I could see the disappointment in his face when he admitted he hasn’t read it nor knew about it. That’s what happens when two quiz enthusiasts accost each other. Farewell, dear Anvar Alikhan. You will be missed but your legacy of work will inspire many others to lead a life full of multi-disciplinary approach that created value in every sphere you touch.
#AnvarAliKhan
As a descendent of Jung family of aristocratic muslims, Anvar Alikhan has been an impeccable Ad professional who has combined the essence of his multi-faceted personality to deliver continuous value in media. He was the pillar of strength for Mindset EY before it got acquired by J Walter Thompson Associates and created some of the most memorable campaigns alongwith Santha John. He truly understood the process of creating a brand that lingers on long after you passed the signal where the bill board ran the campaign. Yashoda Hospitals is just one example of the beauty behind Anvar Alikhan's crusades. It started with a simple slogan: "We hope you never need us." Later, the campaign moved on to interesting and innovative best practices at Yashoda Hospitals but the advertising campaign always relied on delectable visuals with a crisp headline - it could be a robotic surgery, or the first lung transplant or new technology to quell kidney stones. Anvar's campaign built it up with visuals even a child can relate to - so the lungs were visualized as a broccholi and the kidney was an image of a cauliflower - stuff like that made his brand-building campaigns both fun and vivid. So many brands of Hyderabad and other cities from across industries - financial services, healthcare, pharma, utilities, entertainment etc were built by his agency with precision and impact. Many of them also won the plaudits - which is rare for an Ad professional. Like David Ogilvy, he knew the DNA of what makes a good brand ever-lasting.
In many informal meetings with him at media events in Hyderabad, I realized that Anvar's child-like curiosity was always building massive pigeon-holes in his mental library about anything. I remember at one of the book launches, three of us including Anvar were in a conversation about the markets and suddenly, he realized the third person was from the defence industry. For the next forty-five minutes, Anvar was thawing out information about the parts that go into a Bombardier jet with annoying details. He told me later that this is something that he is at the drawing board for a new signup and he needs to soak as much information as possible. Again, conversationalism at work but it shows that a master is always at work because insights can come from innocuous banter. He was also a regular at Derek O'Brien's Brand Equity Quiz and won several prizes almost single-handedly. Derek's quizes were not puritan but it helped Anvar's cause that he could work with both sides of the brain effortlessly to zero in on the Quizmaster's answers pronto. The screening of Cannes Awards was another annual do that brought out the gleeful ad enthusiast like a child to partake in a feast of ice-creams.
But did Anvar have life outside advertising? His close friends vouch that he has a richer life outside the Ad world - which is what makes legends tick. And Anvar’s creative juices never ran out of depth. He was an incurable quiz enthusiast that laid the foundation for all the insights and knowledge he acquired over a lifetime in advertising and travelling across the continents. Anvar used to write for the Outlook magazine, commissioned by Vinod Mehta, usually the travelogue page, the backpage; it was wide-ranging like covering a recent trip to Turkey or Lucknow or giving us trivia about some gastronomical delights. Anvar also edited few anthologies on Indian Advertising and Diaries besides writing many informative and encyclopaedic pieces for The Scroll about trivia – it could be about a lesser-known shareholder in Tata Sons who invested in a single share or about the nuances of India’s Biryani dishes or about Rushdie's anonymous years as an Ad executive. Anvar also covered some of the most famous Indians resident in Hyderabad or visiting the city in Channel 6 magazine as part of “Lunch with Anvar Alikhan”. Some of India’s famous fitness gurus, andrologists, chefs, artists and businessmen were profiled in these pieces which were quite a draw while the magazine played out. His writing style had a unique voice and detail-orientation without sounding laborious or pompous – blended anecdotal reportage with a connoisseur’s touch. Could have been crisper but the final reading left an impact - just as the man always did when you met him. He was gentle, convivial and in blithe spirits and curioser about everything around him. He knew the art of reclaiming conversation from anybody as long as he knew there is gold to be mined from the other side. His humor was also subtle and his manner of speaking was not impresario but persuasive. Friends around him never had a dull moment. He was planning a menagerie of bibliophiles and quizzers shortly but his lung infection took him away sooner. Ironically, one of the posts on his Facebook timeline was about an article written by Serish Nanisetti about why feeding pigeons can harm your lungs. These pigeons cost all of us dear because the infection spread from pigeons in his backyard.
Anvar was also at his best when it comes to curating aspects of Hyderabadi heritage, cuisine, or history. The only person who can beat him to it is the legendary Narendra Luther, IMHO. Anvar, truly, is a gifted personality who has enriched our lives and built a body of work that will endure forever – not only in advertising but in his writings, his anthologies and in the twinkle he kindled in many of his associates, mentees, friends and juniors. Not always an inveterate autograph-hunter, I was always going gaga when I spot Anvar in Hyderabad media events. He never missed an opportunity to catch an interesting event and stayed clear of controversies of whatever variety bred from narrow minds. One of my high points was when I discussed the book of memoirs by the legendary copywriter Neil French “Sorry for the Lobsters”. I could see the disappointment in his face when he admitted he hasn’t read it nor knew about it. That’s what happens when two quiz enthusiasts accost each other. Farewell, dear Anvar Alikhan. You will be missed but your legacy of work will inspire many others to lead a life full of multi-disciplinary approach that created value in every sphere you touch.
#AnvarAliKhan
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