Vivek Hattangadi, a protégé of Prof. Tarun Gupta, was an integral part of a pioneering journey in Indian pharma.
Listening to Pandit Bhimsen Joshi or M. S. Subbulakshmi without the musicians who play the tabla or harmonium would feel incomplete—like food without salt.
In the same way, Prof. Tarun Gupta’s visionary concept of the visual aid would have been incomplete without Ramesh Kulkarni and Harish Raut.
More Than a Friend
Harish was more than just my childhood friend. He and his wife, Mridula, were like family to me, as were his daughters, Radhika and Janhavi. Our bond went far beyond work; it was built on warmth and shared respect.
The Birth of Visual Aids in Indian Pharma
Coming from a humble farming family near Palghar, Harish brought grounded wisdom to creative thinking. During a time of paper shortages and rising costs, he recalled how Rallis salesmen used simple spiral pads with farmers.
That idea sparked what became the first visual aid in Indian pharma—an innovation that remains central even after 50 years.
Together, Tarun Gupta’s powerful ideas, Ramesh Kulkarni’s design thinking, and Harish Raut’s visual storytelling and photography created visual aids rich in emotion and authenticity—free from stock images and full of life.
In later years, Harish would quietly question whether the visual aid still had a place in the digital age—perhaps a reflection of his ever-curious, forward-looking mind.
Today, we mourn the loss of a gifted designer, visualizer, and photographer—but above all, a gentle, thoughtful human being whose legacy continues to shape Indian pharmaceutical marketing.