Ishita Arun mourns demise of uncle Piyush Pandey: 'My forever favourite human'

Ishita Arun, Piyush's niece, took to her Instagram handle, sharing an emotional note for her uncle. She recalled fond memories with him from childhood, "When Piyush Mama came to Mumbai, it was because my mother decided his talent was being wasted in Calcutta. Not many people know this, he stayed with my parents for his first 5 years here. We lived in a small two-bedroom flat in Santacruz (East), and as an only child, I suddenly had my first and only roommate. I was ecstatic. I'd wait all day for him to return from OBM, singing at the top of my lungs like a malfunctioning radio with confidence but no tuning."

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Ishitta Arun (@ishitta.arun)

Ishita further added, "One day, he lost his patience and said, 'Main tumhe ulta pankhe se latka doonga.' For me, it was Tuesday. For him, a breakdown. Being the drama queen I was, I told my teacher, who promptly called my mother and asked, 'Is there a man in your house threatening to hang your daughter upside down?' Yes, there was. His name was Piyush Pandey, my first roommate, my first critic and my forever favourite human."

Ishita Arun recalls fond memories

While recalling childhood memories, she shared an anecdote, "I grew up orbiting his brilliance- OBM parties in our modest home, Sunday matches played like World Cups, and starring in my first ad commercial at age three under him. I was his 'blue-eyed baby. I saw him rise, I saw his genius, and that spark never dimmed, even when the world called him a legend. He was protective, funny, sharp and brutally honest. When I was getting married, my mother told him I was marrying Dhruv from the Dhruv-and-Ashu duo of Smoke Music. He opened the door, looked me dead in the eye, and said, 'Which one- the fat one or the thin one?' That was Mama- irreverent, affectionate and never boring."

She further shared about their bond and journey together in both personal and professional lives. She concluded the long post with, "I'll always be proud to have been his first roommate in Mumbai and his niece for life. There will never be another like him- part warmth, part mischief, full-time original. So Mama, like you always said- 'Haan bhai, front foot pe khelo.' I promise, I'll keep singing- maybe not so loudly this time, but definitely on the front foot. Because you taught us- brilliance isn't in winning the match, it's in showing up, fearless, on the front foot."