In what seems like another life I used to be a journalist. The 1990s were the heydays of economic journalism in India. New broadsheets were being launched and niche publications were coming up at a frenetic pace. The first among the "A&M" (advertising and marketing) supplements - Brand Equity - was brought out by The Economic Times. I had recently transitioned from a general magazine to this new niche publication and was learning the ropes of the sector as I became part of a small team of writers/reporters/editors that was tasked with bringing out the weekly supplement. One of the many people I interacted with from the A&M world was Mr. D.K. Bose. He was heading Thompson Social, a division of the top ad agency in the country, HTA. Mr. Bose's insights helped me learn more about the ins and outs of the industry. Sometimes during our conversations he would talk about his boyhood years and his early career. When he told me that during his stint at the Met ...