Kiran Nagarkar was my first boss. (Yup, Shri Nagarkar was an ad man). My uncle and mentor, Kersy Katrak, gave me a break in an advertising agency he'd started called Fulcrum. Kersy had also hired the legendary Kiran Nagarkar-Arun Kolhatkar copywriter-art director duo, two of his 'whiz-kids' from the 1970s MCM days. (MCM was 'Mad Men' without the booze. 'Fulcrum' was the supergroup that emerged from there.) This was 1986, Mumbai was called Bombay, and the office was in a building next to Churchgate station.

So, on that first day at work, my Remington typewriter and I sat opposite Kiran, while he initiated me into the 'copy' faith. I wasn't intimidated—Kiran was friendly, and funny and warned me against using puns in advertising.