A Heartfelt Farewell to the pharma legend – Harish Raut
Harish was more than a friend; he a member of my family. Both his daughters Radhika and Janhavi are like my own daughters.
He was the third member in the pioneering team of Tarun Gupta, Ramesh Kulkarni which gave Pharma India the first visual aid.
Alongside Tarun Gupta and his mentor Ramesh Kulkarni Sir—both Ramesh Kulkarni and Harish Raut then worked at Ogilvy Benson & Mather—Harish’s helped create the first visual aid for the Indian pharma industry.
Coming from a humble farming family near Palghar in Thane district, Harish had seen Rallis salesmen using spiral pads to speak with farmers. During a brainstorming he suggested something similar. The team adapted that idea for pharma—and even after 50 years, visual aids remain the core medico-marketing tool.
Tarun Gupta’s brilliance in copywriting, visualization and designing Ramesh Kulkarni and Harish Raut and real-time photographs by Harish Raut soon made the visual aids ubiquitous in the pharma industry.
The early visual aids were rich in emotion and artistry. They avoided stock images, choosing instead to create visuals that truly spoke to doctors and patients.
Ironically, Harish often asked, “Why is pharma still using this outdated tool – the Visual Aid – in the digital age?”
Today, we mourn the loss of a brilliant designer, visualizer, and photographer.
Let us all pray to Almighty Shree Ganesh to give strength to his wife Mridula and daughters Radhika and Janhavi during this difficult time.
🙏ॐ नमः शांती, शांती, शांती🙏
