My first meeting with Madan, was over a cup of tea in a Gurgaon hotel. This was way back in 2014 and PR news was just about beginning to be published by a magazine dedicated to the PR industry in India. Madan wanted to discuss one of the industry news stories I had done on an independently owned PR firm.
It's typical of Madan that he does not miss much and follows through personally on what he wants to know. And this drive for information and learning shows through in how Adfactors, led by Madan, has been a strong supporter of PR education and the professionalisation of public relations in India. He regularly supports learning platforms for not only PRmoment but also other events in the PR industry.
This has helped create a solid foundation of work and a robust PR community in India.
Growing up in Mumbai
Born in Govandi near Mumbai, Madan is co-founder and MD of Adfactors PR, India's largest PR firm, as well as one of the vey few independent firms globally to lead the market . As it is often said, at nearly 500 crores, Adfactors PR is larger than the next 5 PR firms put together.
Adfactors first office was set up in a trucker's shop near Thane, when Madan was just 25.
Colleagues pay rich tribute to Madan Bahal on his 70th birthday
To mark his 70th birthday, Madan's colleagues paid tribute to his impact on PR.
In a LinkedIn post, Arwa Husain, director at Adfactors PR said, "What do you give someone who has everything? When Madan Sir was turning 60, I put together a book called Charaiveti — the philosophy of Madan Bahal. It traced his journey and carried messages from the many lives he had touched.
Today, as he turns 70, what strikes me most is that he carries the same energy and rigour that I’ve known for the last 18 years. Madan: A Life, Lightly Sketched brings together moments from his life. Through these sketches, I’ve tried to capture the in-between moments — the habits, convictions and quiet humour."
Madan Bahal on his partnership with Rajesh Chaturvedi
Says Madan, “Rajesh is our mentor and role model. The word ‘relationship’ is the very foundation of public relations and Rajesh has an unparalleled bank of relationship capital that Adfactors PR and our clients benefit from. He is a hallmark of generosity, simplicity, honesty, and selflessness. To that extent, the firm’s culture is the long-shadow of Rajesh’s personality. Our partnership (of 46 years) has outlived any other partnership in the communications industry in India.”
Madan says emotionally that, “ We are brothers doing business. We have a certain outlook to life, we are generous to each other and tolerant of each other. So, we will do business together, till we can do no more.”
Together, the two partners, have developed a certain business philosophy and approach to life which Bahal describes as, “ Rooted in ancient Indian wisdom. Bahujan hitay, bahujan sukhaye, which means that our action should be for the good and happiness of all. Our actions should be consistent with the laws of nature; we, therefore, do not work for businesses engaged in meat-processing, alcohol, tobacco and gambling. We do business from an ethical high-ground and not merely comply with the laws of the land.”
While Madan Bahal might be the more public face of Adfactors, the company rests on a partnership between Madan and Rajesh Chaturvedi.
Only death shall do us apart. Our partnership is summed up in the following verse:
We are walking over the long bridge of life,
The Bridge goes over a deep, choppy ocean,
There is no end in sight, only the horizon,
In this journey, I will not push you over,
Nor, will you.
I will not jump, nor will you,
I will not turn back, nor will you.
We shall keep walking together,
Until we can walk no more
Madan Bahal
If you enjoyed this article, you can subscribe for free to our weekly event and subscriber alerts.
We have four email alerts in total - covering ESG, PR news, events and awards. Enter your email address below to find out more: