opi Kukde may have lived and breathed advertising for the past so many years, but the time he holds closest to his heart is the time away from the industry. He worked for almost a decade with agencies like (the erstwhile Leo Burnett) Chaitra, Clarion (now Bates David Enterprise) and Everest. In 1982, he struck out on his own when he founded Advertising Avenues with two others. Wanderlust led the the veteran of numerous campaigns like Asian Paints, Glaxo, Hawkins pressure cooker and most notably, one of the creators of the original Onida Devil, to become a student again at the age of 36. The winner of several CAG & Ad Club awards, shares some of his defining moments.

There have been no defining moments in my life, there have just been a series of many moments that have been important for me. But two incidents influenced me profoundly. One was when I decided to quit advertising. I had decided at 27-28 that I would not be in advertising for very long. The reason was not that I was fed up of it, but I just told myself, that at the age of 35, I should learn another art apart from advertising. I also wanted to take up something new to check if I could give up something I loved. ... more