Remembering Larry Grant

 Larry taught me advertising and media. It was fun attending his class. Great man. Greater personality; yet down to earth. That's what Larry was.
We remember after our course, he treated us to lunch he prepared himself. Media stories he used to tell us about brands and media personalities, am sure, no course in the world would teach. It was a truly enlightening experience learning with him. We miss you Larry. Much love!!
Asif Mulla, Mumbai Mirror-Response
Times of India, Mumbai

 We really miss you,
You were so inspiring ,
May your soul rest in peace.
Pravin Somvanshi

 I knew Larry in the 70's as a junior ae and then
in the 80's in Contract. A tough no nonsense adman who spoke with clarity and thoughtfulness. I will miss him
Shanker Seetharam
Toronto, Canada

 He talked like a child, he smiled all the while, he guided like a dad, not here...too bad, his bald pate would shine, would u ever see him whine, he was full of life, life I wanna live, he inspired me..to become wot i wanna be..not a personal selling bearings, but to do good in copy..i miss him so much...but life's such..
Deepal Shah
Madison PR, Mumbai

 A wonderful person, Larry was a good teacher. He showed true interest in encouraging youngsters. I was one of the millions he touched in his life!

RIP Larry.
Naeem Noorani

 Larry. The name symbolises different things to different people. Amazing, as in such times was a person with such immense talent and compassion that he had something to offer to every one. To me, Larry was not only a gentleman but a genuine person who touched you in some way. Difficult to explain what he meant to me but Larry is like a memory which never fades, a fragrance which lingers forever.

May you find peace my friend.
Ashish

 I met Larry during one of the creative workshops conducted by Contract. Yes. He was the perfect gentleman and so much at peace with himself. I could hardly associate him with the advertising world as I saw it. Always courteous, yet so warm. He even brought along a rose for me when he came visiting Contract, Chennai, where I was placed. I miss him.
Akther Ghori

 Mr Grant's death came as an utter shock to me! He taught us creative copywriting at The Davar's Institute at Fort - in a style that most of us from that batch have remembered always. What was most enjoyable was his extremely helpful insights as well as the snippets from his experiences in the ad world that made a difference to us in those months. We posed for crazy pictures and he even joined us for a memorable dinner at the end of the course. The continous emails to stay in touch with us and help us find a space for ourselves in agencies was something he will always be remembered for as well. It was a pleasure learning from you Mr Grant. May you rest in peace always.
Meeta Singh

 Larry was a great friend and brother. It was because of him that I was intoduced to GFN and made a Dep. Rep in India, while he was Rep for GFN in India. The word "NO" was not to be found in Larry's dictionary. Always "YES". Yes, and he did help in all possible manner. May The Almighty keep him in His Abode peacefully as He had kept him here. May the great soul rest in heavenly peace.
Narendra Porwal

 Such a fine person! I'll always miss him. May his soul rest in peace. And may God give courage to all his family members and well wishers to bear this great loss.
Tapan Sampat

 In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Professor Dumbledor, beaming with avuncular geniality, says: “It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”

Larry Grant, despite his considerable talents, chose to be simple, direct, friendly and treated anyone he spoke with as an equal. Unlike many of his peers in the ad biz, he remained unaffected by its congenital artifice. He was the unassuming professional, with no airs and many graces; the very antithesis of the self-inflated, cigar-chewing, argot-spouting anathema known as the adman.

I met Larry way back in the winter of ‘80. At the time, he ran own outfit called Larry Grant Communications but also served as Editor on Promotion, the then Journal of the Advertising Agencies Association of India. I was fresh out of college and looking for something to do when he hired me to work for him as a writer-sub editor. Although I worked under this martinet for just three or four months, the lessons I learned then have stayed with me throughout my career.

Now this might not seem like much, but I learned to be thorough about proofing. In those halcyon pre-desktop publishing days, a simple error could prove dear in terms of time and cost, and I made one such error. An article had been set for publication in Promotion but the writer had just written a string of zeros to represent the circulation figure for a leading film magazine. A note had been made to put in the actual figure, but the note was soon forgotten, the editor was not consulted, and the piece was published as it was!

Larry was understandably furious but he didn’t decapitate me or eviscerate my bowels or call my mother. Instead, he gave me the right figure, asked me to order it 800 times on a galley proof – and then cut out and stick one figure at a time on each of the 800 copies of Promotion! I think I set a record of sorts on the day I completed this laborious assignment – but that was when I began treating the chore of proofing with more respect.

Many years later I had the opportunity of meeting Larry again – this time to interview him on the Windows program that was in place in Contract. After the article was published in A&M, Larry sent me a Thank You note, congratulating me on what he thought was a significant study of training in the industry and encouraging me to “keep it up”.

That was Larry Grant: never prodigal of praise, never too critical, but always honest. Which is why I’ve kept his note with me all these years. It was well earned and, coming from Larry, worth the man who wrote it.
Pierre Francis

 I have never met a man who could communicate powerful thoughts with such simplicity as Larry. The students of Symbiosis will never forget you.
Shubhrojyoti Guha

 I am missing you, Larry.
Raika Gazder

 A vacuum created in creativity. Perhaps can never be filled. Though an unknown face in the ad world, I know a little about Larry. I miss you in this materialistic world.

May his soul rest in peace.
Braja Das

 Shocked to read about Larry passing away. Just can't believe it. My deep sympathy to his family. Will really miss him.

Larry, you'll always be a source of inspiration. Someone who made me feel very positive. I hope one day I will write the book on DM Creative which we discussed.
Surekha L Gholap

 Dear Larry,

So many memories come filtering through. The fact that I met you first at Contract clad in slippers. The fact that you liked my guts. Your teaching at the 1997 batch of AAAI that left an indelible mark on the eight of us. The fact that you kept in touch all times. The fact that I could never meet you at Michael Kalyanpur's house over a Christmas party. The fact that you were so gung-ho over the Internet back when most of us hadn't even heard of it.

Thank you Larry. I'll miss you a tonne!
Shantesh Row

 Friend, philosopher, guide. Mr Larry inspired many lives, including mine.

A visiting professor for copywriting at KC College, Mr Grant was known for his style, bright coloured clothes and soft voice. I remember an occasion when he held a microphone for the first time in class – arousing the interest of my friend Prasad Patwardhan who always had some difficulty hearing Larry, as the former used to occupy the last bench in the big classroom. Looking at Prasad knowingly, Mr Larry said, “It seemed you were never interested in the class; yet you now seem to be the happiest person on earth”.

I didn’t know what copywriting was before I got into KC College. It was Mr Grant who recognised my potential and gave me direction. I’ll never forget the day when he went through my first assignment because it was the day when he virtually defined my future. We had been asked to submit an ad for Akbarally’s, Fountain. Everybody had put in their best. Some even had designed it on the computer. Fearing that my ad would not match the class, I approached Mr Grant before the lecture. I had made the ad on a writing pad with some scribbles and a headline. He went through it and without saying much he said, “This is a well thought-out ad.” I kept my scribble with me, not realising the importance it would have for me in the future.

At the start of the lecture everyone submitted their concepts. Then, one student asked him which concept he would select if he were the client. Mr Larry asked me for my pad, opened it, read it again, and said, “This is the one I would go for.” The visual was a photograph of Flora Fountain, with the headline that read, “The best STOP for SHOPPERS at the CROSSROADS of Fountain. AKBARALLY’S, Fountain.” Mr Grant then went on to relate my work to that of Edward De Bono.

After that day, there was no looking back for me. Mr Grant voted me the best in most of my individual assignments in the whole copywriting class. In fact, my classmates started calling me “Larry Grant’s pet”.

Even after college, he continued to be a guiding star. On request, he once took us through an Account Planning lecture at his Colaba residence. He would also reply to our phone calls and e-mails instantly and would answer to our silliest query with great interest.

The last letter that I wrote was approximately three months back requesting a meeting with him. He replied that he was in Pune and would inform me as soon as he returned to Mumbai. Thereafter, I wrote often, requesting to meet with him – but still no reply. Then suddenly, came the shocking news of his death.

With Mr Larry’s passing, I feel suddenly abandoned – like a child who loses valuable support just when he is beginning to take his first steps. But, in memory, Mr Larry is alive and well, with his bright coloured clothes and soft voice – a continuing inspiration for me and those like me who had the privilege of knowing and working with him in those precious, formative years of their careers.

May his soul rest in peace!
Mehul Rajput

 The purpose of a relationship is not to have another who might complete you; but to have another with whom you might share your completeness.

Wherever Larry is, I'm sure he is at peace. I will miss him deeply. He was a great inspiration and a guiding force.
Iden D'souza

 Larry was the brain behind the Contract Windows workshop I attended in 95. He was gentle, yet hard as nails when it came to getting the best out of us, trainees. I'll remember him as a very modest man, given to the occasional flash of wit, and insatiably curious about life.

Sorry, we cleaned out your bar in Pune, Larry!
Shubho Sengupta

 Deepest condolences, may Larry rest in eternal peace. The Leher of Larry will continue for a long time to come.
Ibrahim Casubhoy

 Dear Larry,
It comes as a shock to hear this! You've been a guiding star from the start of my career and throughout the escalation. From the day you motivated us and guided us to the how-to-get-ins of the industry... till the last mail we shared, you've been very spontaneous in your response and a real buddy! It hurts me immensely to realise that you ain't around anymore and it pains all the more as I couldn't manage to have a word with you last week in spite of strongly feeling like buzzing you.
Larry, missing you immensely!
Mayuri Khaniya

 I have rarely met a person like Mr. Larry Grant in my 25-year career in advertising. Let me illustrate what I am saying with a personal experience.

Mr. Larry Grant was my boss for a period of just 20 days around 1984 in his own agency. He hired me as a permanent employee on the very first day. But 20 days later, I got a call from the late Mr. Ravi Gupta's secretary. I was obviously excited about working with Trikaya during its golden period. But I didn't know how to break the news to Mr. Grant.

I went into his room and told him that I wanted to go but I would finish working for a month. I told him I didn't want to get paid for that period.

He started laughing. And asked me where I was joining. When I told him I was joing Trikaya Grey, he said, "That's good news. If I were you, I would have done the same thing!" He called his accountant and settled my payment on the spot and advised me to take 10 days off before I joined Trikaya.

Fortunately, I met him again at Contract. Mr. Ram Sehgal introduced me to him. I reminded Mr. Larry Grant about the incident. He just laughed it off. My relationship with him continued to this day. I wanted to call him on April 18. And like all other busy advertising people, I postponed it. And now all I'm left with is his phone number.
Sanjay Khare

 I will miss Larry. A great teacher who taught me at AAAI account management workshop in 1997 around six years ago. I still cannot forget his session and the feedback he gave me. We will remember him all our lives.
Rammohan Shetty

 Larry's death comes as a rude shock to me. It's impossible to believe he is no more.

Larry was a great teacher, a good friend, reliable and trusted guide, and a very favourite colleague. He had a great sense of humour. This helped in working through difficult work situations. He had an amazing way of relieveing tension and working around problems. No problem remained a problem once shared with Larry.

I am sure most of the students of KC college would share the same opinion. It's here where we first met as a teacher and student. I was fortunate to work with him on some accounts while working at Art Advertising.

Larry, I feel honoured to have worked with you and get very useful tips on account planning and writing.

Later, he also helped make some wise academic decisions. One marked quality Larry had was that he would never fail to return a phone call or reply to emails, no matter how stupid they were. He dealt with every issue one took to him (no matter how silly) very sincerely. He was a simple, honest and sincere person, spreading smiles wherever he went.

He was a precious friend. I feel terrible that I have not had a chance to meet him for the past few months. I find myself really unlucky.

I can't still believe that you aren't around. I still find myself writing to you and expecting a reply, or picking the phone and calling you and expect a very welcoming 'Hi'. I just hope you are somewhere around guiding me with my communication and organisation skills.

I just hope I could chat with you one last time...
Aarti Rathod

 Larry was one of the kindest people I've ever met. When I wanted to start off in advertising and had no portfolio but the homepages of a few websites I had done, Larry was the only one who actually gave my work credit and said that if I tried hard enough I'd get there. I sent Larry an email when I joined Grey as junior copywriter. His reply to me in 36 point text was, "Congrats! Take it from here to Mecca!"

His death comes as a shock to me. This was one old man who was truly young at heart. Miss you Larry... and thanks for the encouragement, for telling me that "Advertising will always be starved of talent" and "Advertsing is a wierd industry, they judge you by the work you've done, but very rarely allow you the opportunity to start that work!"
Shahrukh Dandiwala

 I will miss you Larry. You have been a great mentor and always replied my emails full of doubts and queries. You were a great man. Sleep peacefully sir.
Pravin Shah

 Larry was a very good friend of mine. We worked together at HAT, then shared our knowledge with AAAI training classes. And continued close association till he settled down in Pune.
Bahadur Merwan

 I had attended a AAAI workshop under him in early 1997. He made writing sound so simple, and helped me see it so simply. God bless.
Shantanu Sen Gupta

 I am extremely sad to hear this. I met Larry after he reviewed my book on advertising in his regular column on advertising in The Times of India. I had never met him before and was surprised that he had taken the trouble to read and review my book which I had sent across to Kevin Marshall (as a gesture of thanks for all his help while I researched for my book) at the Advertising Agencies Association of India.

Since then I grew more and more fond of him. He was a simple person, committed to teaching and the student community. He guided me through my research work on my second book on advertising and I had the privilege of having him write the foreword to the book.

I feel miserable that I did not connect with him last month when I was in Mumbai. I wanted to and something always came in the way. Why is death so final?

I pray for him. He was a good person and I value all that I have learnt from him.
Amita Shankar

 I was one of the many that Larry Grant introduced to the world of advertising and copywriting through his workshops. I just cannot get myself to accept that such a talented and impressive human being is no more. I cant really say he was a friend but he is most certainly someone I look up to simply because he gave back manifold what he received. May his soul rest in peace.
Kevin Pereira

 He was a truly amazing man with a zest for advertising. A brilliant teacher whose passion about the business came through in his teachings. Was associated with him not only through work but also his and mine home town Dehradun. Both Doon and I shall miss him.
Vikas Mehta

 Very very sorry to hear about Larry's passing away. Had met him early this year at Aunty Sashi's (Prahlad Kakar's mother) place. When he came to know I was from the advertising field he was very helpful and immediately noted down my skills, in case he could help me in the near future. His amazing store of stories were fascinating. I could meet him only once more after that. I personally thought this would be the beginning of a long association since he was spending more time in Pune. But so sorry I could not attend his funeral either as I got the news later that day. Please accept heartfelt condolences from both me and my husband Indrajit Lahiri. We pray that his soul rests in peace.
Shree Lahiri

 I just met Larry Grant once when I had gone to apply for a job at Contract. I had no appointment but out came Grant who spoke with me, heard me out sincerely. I did not get the job and while I thought my CV was in the bin, within two days I got my neatly worded regret letter. That simpilicity and professionalism I have yet to see in advertising. I was thouroghly impressed by him in a five minute meeting and always recount it to my friends. Sadly, I never met him again. Now that I read more about him, I am convinced he was a class act.
Sanjay Narayanan

 I met him in Radeus, Pune, when I did a summer project on Bajaj Sunny. He drilled in me the importance of being punctual, being polite, and a love for advertising. His politeness and his pleasant demeanour was endearing. I'll always remember you, Mr Grant for what you have taught me. May God rest his soul in peace.
Padmnabh Thomre

 If I am earning my bread and butter through copywriting it is thanks to Larry Grant. He was one of those who showed me the way, he unburdened me of a lot of baggage that young entrants into this field tend to carry. Thank you Larry for making me a better person, will always rememeber you. May your soul rest in peace.
Thoppil Paul

 Known as a person who knew Bajaj Auto to its nerve. I only met him once in Pune as a college student. A very soft person indeed. I pray to God to give all the courage in such times.
Atul Ramesh Talegaonkar

 As a student I have worked very closely with Larry Grant and he is one of the most respected teachers. I felt very bad when I heard about the loss because he was one of the most profound teachers I have known. God bless the soul of the great man...
Rakesh Kumar

 He taught us in postgrad, in Pune. A brilliant man, I hoped he could share more with us. It's a sad day for genuine people in advertising.
Kanishka Vashisht



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