AG Krishnamurthy, aka AGK, the founder of Mudra Communications Limited, passed away in Hyderabad on the morning of Friday, February 5, 2016 after a brief illness. He leaves behind his wife, three daughters and son, besides a host of fans and well-wishers in the communications industry.
The founder Chairman and Managing Director of Mudra Communications was well known for steering his agency from a Rs 35 lakh company to a Rs 7 billion corporation in a remarkably short span of 23 years since its inception in 1980. During this time, he also made a considerable contribution to the agency’s creative reputation, doubling up as copywriter/art director and quite often even as creative director.
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Born on April 28, 1942 in Vinukonda in Andhra Pradesh, Krishnamurthy graduated in History from Andhra University. In 1968, he joined Calico Mills, a big textile name in the 60s and 70s, to assist Smt Giraben Sarabhai. In 1972, he moved to their advertising agency, Shilpi Advertising, as an Account Executive and then joined Reliance Industries in 1976 as their Advertising Manager. Four years later, on March 25, 1980, Krishnamurthy founded Mudra Communications.
Under AGK’s stewardship, Mudra scaled global heights and opened an international office. He led several Gujarat-based brands like Rasna, NDDB’s Dhara, Wagh Bakri Tea, Paras Pharmaceutical’s products like Moov and Krack foot Cream, Ajanta Clocks, Zydus Cadila and Symphony Air Coolers among others to national popularity through Mudra Communications.
In March 1991, he set up the Mudra Institute of Communications, Ahmedabad (MICA), the only advertising institute of its kind in Asia. MICA was set up to feed the growing Indian advertising industry with trained talent. The British Magazine ‘Media International’ in December 1998 nominated AG Krishnamurthy as one of the 25 key figures of the international advertising industry. In 1999, he was awarded the prestigious AAAI - Premnarayen Award in recognition of ‘his pioneering spirit and entrepreneurial vision’.
AGK retired from Mudra on March 31, 2003, and moved to Hyderabad to set up AGK Brand Consulting. He wrote several books on advertising, entrepreneurship and on his clients.
In a chapter on MICA in his book ‘If You Can Dream...’ AGK recollected: “Several people, particularly from the media have asked me on several occasions: ‘Why did you have to create MICA?’ ‘Someone had to do it. So I did,’ has always been my reply.”
(With inputs from media reports)
Krish blazed a new trail which was refreshingly different from the processes and practices followed in the advertising agency industry then. His work ethic was unbelievable and something that remains with me even today. Mudra worked on Saturdays and Mudra Ahmedabad, where he used to sit, worked on Sundays too, mercifully half a day. For many years, he came to Bombay by the night train on Sunday night and returned to Ahmedabad by the Tuesday night train and stayed the two nights at Ritz Hotel. Krish (that’s what I called him), History records your contribution to the advertising world. May your soul rest in peace.
SAM BALSARA | Chairman, Madison World
‘I never wanted the conversation to end...’
AGK gave me an in-depth interview a couple of months back for my upcoming book. On a Sunday morning, we spoke of life, Andhra food and advertising. We also spoke about the early campaigns of Rasna and how little girl Ankita Jhaveri became a mascot for the brand and how the tagline ‘I love you Rasna’ got created. We also spoke about the first ever Vimal campaign and chatted extensively about the early Doordarshan days... It was such an enlightening experience for me to listen to his life stories. I never wanted the conversation to end.
KV SRIDHAR ‘POPS’ | Chief Creative Officer, India SapientNitro
Sajan Raj Kurup Retweeted Creativeland Asia @Creativeland
Our humble respects to the original patriarch and the founder of Indian advertising, #AGK May his soul rest in peace.
sanjeev kotnala @S_kotnala
Will miss #AGK his teachings and impressions that I collected while a young rookie at #mudra will remain with me. RIP Sir.
Prathap Suthan Retweeted Naresh Gupta @googlegupta
#AGK changed the entire advertising industry. Your legacy will live forever @ patsuthan
ambimgp @ambimgp
RIP AGK ! Probably the first Ad Person in the world to set up a B School focused on Mktg n Advtg ! @TheAdClub_India
bhatnaturally @bhatnaturally
Truly sad to hear about the demise of AGK. A visionary who did so much for the industry.
