By Imtiyaz Vilatra
Ambareesh was a friend, guide, client, and above all, a great human being. We started our journey together and I have known him for more than two decades now. This indeed is a personal loss for me. It has saddened everyone who has known him closely. Today, while we grieve this loss, I also believe it is very important to remember the legacy he has created over the years. To his friends and close associates, his contribution, passion, and influence have been way beyond just business.
I have known Ambareesh since 1999, so our relationship is about 24 years old now. We became friends when he was a Cadbury brand manager and I was with Ogilvy & Mather. We were really young in the industry back then, and were not earning very much. We ate a lot of vada pavs and frankies and spent a lot of time working together. That’s where we really bonded. Eventually, our friendship grew and so, we were often in each other’s homes and our families bonded too. He never called me Imtiyaz. I was always ‘Imti’ to him.
It was when he was working at eBay that he had the idea of creating an online furniture business. We worked closely in the last 12 years since the inception of Pepperfry. My association with him was more than just an out-of-home communication partner. As his friend and well-wisher, it gave me great joy and pride to see how he successfully built Pepperfry as a leading furniture brand. I will always remember him as a risk-taker, willing to take big bets and unafraid to jump off a cliff.
He was never too busy to connect and stay in touch with old friends. I know for a fact that at Pepperfry too, despite his position as CEO, he was approachable to everyone in his company. Anyone could go up and talk to him. He was a complete people’s person, in both his personal and professional life. And that is why my memories of him are not so much about the work we did together or the business he built but rather the wonderful human being that he was. Though he is no more, his influence on many lives will remain forever.
(The author is MD, Posterscope India)