Industry Veterans Commemorate Chintamani Rao's Half-century Milestone

Chintamani Rao, veteran of the advertising and media industry, was celebrated for his remarkable fifty-year career at a special event in the national capital. The gathering was a star-studded affair, graced by industry veterans, colleagues, friends, and family members of Rao.

Rao, who began his illustrious journey in June 1974, reminisced about his first day at work and his unwavering passion for his career. “I have never in these 50 years been sick on Sunday about Monday being the first day of the week to resume work, or my work ever," he remarked, reflecting on his enduring dedication.

Expressing heartfelt gratitude to his wife, Reena, and his family, Rao acknowledged their unwavering support through countless relocations across various cities. "Reena has been very integral to this great service. She was ready to pack bags and baggage and just move on to the next adventure. My two sons have obviously had to bear the brunt of this. I went to the same school all my life, the entire 12 years of my school life, I went to Delhi Public School (DPS), Mathura Road. My two sons have each been to five schools."

In a nostalgic chat with Anurag Batra, Rao recalled working with legendary figures in Indian advertising, including the late Alyque Padamsee, the late SR Ayer, fondly known as Mani Ayer, and the late Ranjan Kapur of Ogilvy & Mather (O&M) India. An audio-visual tribute by Piyush Pandey, Executive Chairperson, Ogilvy India, described Rao as a 'gentle giant' and recounted their collaboration on Pandey's first campaign.

Prominent figures from the advertising and media world, such as Santosh Desai (MD & CEO, Futurebrands India), Avinash Pandey (former CEO, ABP), Rohit Bansal (Group Head of Communications, Reliance Industries), Rajul Kulshreshtha (CEO, Agilis Plus), Debashis Paul (Marketing Consultant), and Amit Tiwari (Global Head of Marketing Demand Centre, Tata Consultancy Services), were also in attendance. They unanimously praised Rao's gentleness, humour, and sharp critical perspective.

Avinash Pandey highlighted Rao's calm and incisive approach, recalling an instance when Rao questioned Aaj Tak's sales strategies. Rohit Bansal shared a light-hearted memory, "When Chinta sir joined India TV, he told me that I could address him as Mr Chintamani Rao, and even Chinta - but not Mr Chinta. Well, that's the name which stuck - Mr. Chinta!" He admired Rao's resourcefulness and out-of-the-box thinking.

Rao's family, including his wife Reena Rao, his elder son Krishna Rao and his wife Layla, his younger son Ambar Rao, and grandson Kiaan, were present to celebrate the milestone. Reena fondly recounted attending client parties with Rao and his enduring friendships with Piyush Pandey and the late Ranjan Kapur.

The evening was a nostalgic journey down memory lane for Rao, filled with heartfelt tributes and cherished memories as he looked forward to continuing his legacy in the industry.

Neha Kalra

BW Reporters She is the Senior Editorial Lead at Businessworld and majorly covers pieces on advertising, marketing, branding and experiential marketing. She writes closely for BW Marketing World and Everything Experiential.