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NT Bureau
Chennai, May 30:
 

Minister of State for Commerce Jairam Ramesh releasing the book 'R K Swamy, His Life and Times' in Chennai yesterday. Wheels India chairman and managing director Ram Santhanam and author V S Chakrapani are among those present.

        The failure of the India Shining campaign of the NDA regime in the run up to the last general elections could be attributed to the misplaced importance given to English language, according to Union Minister of State for Commerce Jairam Ramesh.

        Speaking at a function yesterday to release the book R K Swamy - His life and Times, Ramesh said the introduction of satellite TVs in the mid-1990s has revolutionised the concept of political advertising in the country.

        R K Swamy was one of the pioneering experts in the field of Indian advertising to understand the implications of the surge of TV channels in that time, he said.

        Many public sector firms were given an image make-over by Swamy through his skilled techniques in advertising. 'He gave the PSU companies in last 70s and early 80s a big boost through slick advertising methods,' he recalled. Ramesh pointed out there was still much scope for advertising in the public sector which should be explored by the students in the field of advertising and mass media.

        A stalwart in Indian commercials, Swamy along with the likes of Mani Iyer and Alyque Padamsee created a new wave of advertising films for the TV channels. However, Swamy was firmly rooted in Indian ethos which needed to be emulated in the present era of globalisation.

        N Murali, managing director, The Hindu, said through many assignments for the public sector in his advertising works, Swamy brought out the importance of these enterprises to the public view. He was also involved in many charity works, Murali said.

        The book, according to Srinivasan K Swamy, chairman and managing director, R K Swamy BBDO, was a reaffirmation that business could be guided by core values, even as the product and service offerings were modified to meet changing requirements of the market and the clients.

        BHEL and MMTC former chairman S V S Raghavan and Wheels India former CMD Ram Santhanam were also present on the occasion.