MAM
Taproot is Creative Agency of the Year at Adfest 2013
MUMBAI: Taproot has become the first agency of Indian origin to win the ‘Creative Agency of the Year‘ title at Adfest. It took home a total of 11 metals including a Grand Prix for the agency’s ‘I am Mumbai’ campaign for Mumbai Mirror (in the Lotus Roots Category) and a gold for the same campaign in the Film category.
Taproot, which was taken over by Japan‘s communication conglomerate Dentsu last year, has also won a Lotus Roots for its entry Abused Goddess (1-3 series) Save Our Sisters.
The success of Taproot at Adfest 2013 signals the arrival of Indian agencies on the global map. “Nothing can be better than this for us at AdFest. Hope we continue our momentum and live up to our clients and industry expectation in the coming years as well,” says an elated Santosh Padhi, Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Taproot India.
In fact, it has been a healthy run for India at the Adfest. Says Scarecrow Communications founder director Manish Bhatt, “I think Taproot’s performance has been mind blowing. In fact, the country as a whole has put up a stellar show this year. I feel apart from the quality and quantity of work at these awards, what has tipped the scales in our favour is that we have more representation at the jury level. This way, the context of our work and the relevanace to our audience can be better explained and understood on the global stage.”
The winning list includes McCann Worldgroup India which took home six metals and Leo Burnett India which bagged three metals. Grey Worldwide India, DDB Mudra Group, BBDO India and Contract Advertising India won two metals each, while Scarecrow India got one metal at the creative award festival.
The winning entries are enlisted below:
| Sr.no | Category | Campaing | Agency | Mental |
|
1
|
Press Lotus | Visual Classified Times Classified | Taproot India Mumbai | Silver |
|
2
|
Press Lotus | Hands can‘t be trusted – House Wife / Hands can‘t be trusted – Scientist Videocon Mobile | McCann Worldgroup India Mumbai | Bronze |
|
3
|
Press Lotus | 7 Abused Goddess 1-3 Save Our Sisters | Taproot India Mumbai | Bronze |
|
4
|
Press Lotus | Horn/Bell/Duck Volkswagen Passat | DDB Mudra Group Mumbai | Bronze |
|
5
|
Interactive Lotus
|
Harmonium Love Mohan Music Palace
|
Webchutney New Delhi
|
Bronze
|
|
6
|
Design Lotus
|
Green Fold Killer Jeans
|
Grey Worldwide India Mumbai
|
Silver
|
|
7
|
Design Lotus
|
Strip the Summer Killer Jeans
|
Grey Worldwide India Mumbai
|
Silver
|
|
8
|
Design Lotus
|
Donate More Red Cross
|
Taproot India Mumbai
|
Bronze
|
|
9
|
Print Craft Lotus
|
God ATSS
|
McCann Worldgroup India Mumbai
|
Silver
|
|
10
|
Print Craft Lotus
|
Country side Bar/Fish Market/Toilet Nima Bartan
|
Taproot India Mumbai
|
Bronze
|
|
11
|
Print Craft Lotus
|
Camouflage Toilet/Camouflage Kitchen Bajaj Exhaust Fans
|
Leo Burnett India Mumbai
|
Bronze
|
|
12
|
Print Craft Lotus
|
Face 1/Face 2/Face 3 Prayas Bharti Trust
|
Taproot India Mumbai
|
Bronze
|
|
13
|
Print Craft Lotus
|
Abused Goddess 1-3 Save Our Sisters
|
Taproot India Mumbai
|
Silver
|
|
14
|
Film Craft Lotus
|
IPL- Carnival BCCI
|
Bang Bang Films Mumbai
|
Silver
|
|
15
|
Film Craft Lotus
|
Giving is Magic
|
ICICI Bank Corcoise Films Mumbai
|
Silver
|
|
16
|
Film Craft Lotus
|
Morphy Richards – Corruption Morphy Richards Juicers
|
Contract Advertising Mumbai
|
Silver
|
|
17
|
Direct Lotus
|
The Pissing Letter Diastix
|
BBDO Mumbai
|
Silver
|
|
18
|
Film Lotus
|
I Am Mumbai, Mumbai Mirror
|
Taproot India Mumbai
|
Gold
|
|
19
|
Film Lotus
|
Bindi/Aarti Yatra.com
|
McCann Worldgroup India Mumbai
|
Silver
|
|
20
|
Film Lotus
|
Morphy Richards
|
Contract Advertising Mumbai
|
Silver
|
|
21
|
Film Lotus
|
Mrs. Pinto Panasonic SmooSpeak Video Door Phone
|
Scarecrow Communications Mumbai
|
Bronze
|
|
22
|
Film Lotus
|
Girl Child Kaun Banega Crorepati (Who Wants to be a Millionaire)
|
Leo Burnett India Mumbai
|
Bronze
|
|
23
|
Film Lotus
|
Fox Movies Subtitles Fox Movies
|
Taproot India Mumbai
|
Bronze
|
|
24
|
Film Lotus
|
IPL – Carnival BCCI
|
Bang Bang Films Mumbai
|
Bronze
|
|
25
|
Outdoor Lotus
|
Franklin Gandhi/Queen Mao/Lincoln Fahd Western Union Money Transfer (Two Dimensional large/Highway Billboards)
|
McCann Worldgroup India Mumbai
|
Silver
|
|
26
|
Outdoor Lotus
|
Franklin Gandhi/Queen Mao/Lincoln Fahd Western Union Money Transfer (Best of Financial)
|
McCann Worldgroup India Mumbai
|
Silver
|
|
27
|
Outdoor Lotus
|
JFK/Elvis/Rosewell Paper Shredder
|
DDB Mudra Group Mumbai
|
Bronze
|
|
28
|
Outdoor Lotus
|
ReCycled CD‘s Rolling Stone
|
Taproot India Mumbai
|
Bronze
|
|
29
|
Radio Lotus
|
Toothpaste/Diaper Reliance Digital TV
|
Leo Burnett India Mumbai
|
Bronze
|
|
30
|
Lotus Roots
|
I Am Mumbai, Mumbai Mirror
|
Taproot India Mumbai
|
Grand Lotus Roots
|
|
31
|
Lotus Roots
|
Abused Goddess 1-3 Save Our Sisters
|
Taproot India Mumbai
|
Lotus Roots
|
|
32
|
Lotus Roots
|
Bindi/Aarti Yatra.com
|
McCann Worldgroup India Mumbai
|
Lotus Roots
|
|
33
|
Effective Lotus
|
You Shave, I Shave Gillette
|
BBDO Mumbai
|
Effective Lotus
|
|
34
|
Special Awards
|
Agency of the Year
|
Taproot India Mumbai
|
|
MAM
Raghu Rai passes away at 83, leaves behind iconic legacy
Padma Shri-winning photographer documented history across 5 decades.
MUMBAI: The lens may have stilled, but the stories it captured will never fade. Raghu Rai, one of India’s most celebrated photojournalists, passed away on April 26, 2026, at the age of 83. He breathed his last at a private hospital in New Delhi after battling cancer and age-related health issues.
His son, Nitin Rai, revealed that Rai had been diagnosed with prostate cancer two years ago, which later spread to the stomach and, more recently, the brain. Despite multiple rounds of treatment, his health had declined in recent months.
Born in 1942 in Jhang, Punjab (now in Pakistan), Rai entered photography in his early twenties, inspired by his elder brother, photographer S. Paul. Beginning his career in the mid-1960s, he went on to build a body of work that spanned more than five decades, contributing to global publications such as Time, Life, GEO, Le Figaro, The New York Times, Vogue, GQ and Marie Claire.
His global recognition took a decisive leap in 1977 when legendary French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson nominated him to join Magnum Photos, placing him among the world’s most respected visual storytellers.
Rai’s lens chronicled both power and poignancy. He photographed towering figures such as Indira Gandhi, Dalai Lama, Bal Thackeray, Satyajit Ray and Mother Teresa, while also documenting defining moments like the Bhopal gas tragedy later captured in his book Exposure: A Corporate Crime.
Over the years, he published more than 18 books, building an archive that blended journalism with artistry. His contributions were recognised early when he was awarded the Padma Shri in 1972 for his coverage of the Bangladesh War and refugee crisis. In 1992, he was named “Photographer of the Year” in the United States for his work in National Geographic, and in 2009, he was honoured with the Officier des Arts et des Lettres by the French government.
Rai is survived by his wife Gurmeet, son Nitin, and daughters Lagan, Avani and Purvai. His last rites will be held at Lodhi Cremation Ground in New Delhi at 4 pm on Sunday.
With his passing, Indian photojournalism loses not just a pioneer, but a patient observer of history, one frame at a time.
