Obituary: Bal Mundkur, founder of Ulka, passes away

Bal Mundkur, a veteran in advertising, has passed away. Mundkur was the founder, owner of Ulka (now Draftfcb Ulka). He started Ulka in 1961 and was pivotal in the transformation of the agency from a creative hot shop to a reputed mainstream agency.

He succumbed to a heart attack on the morning of 7 January, at his residence in Goa.

Mundkur had joined D J Keymer, the forerunner of today’s O&M, on the first day of 1951. Ten years later, he started Ulka – meaning, meteor. Within the next ten years, Ulka was the fourth largest agency in the country..

Mundkur was an avid collector of all things rare and beautiful, his prized chess set starred in Satyajit Ray’s celebrated Shatranj Ke Khiladi.

Mundkur was known to be a passionate crusader for a wide range of causes, which included activities like building a cerebral palsy hospital, to bringing the choir of Trinity College, London on a tour across India.

In the nineties, Mundkur retired from Ulka (which had become FCB Ulka, and more recently, Draftfcb Ulka) and moved to Goa, where he continued working for causes close to his heart – which included helping set up Asia’s very first Museum of Christian Art in Goa.

At 85 he set up the Centrum trust, which recently published Ad Katha, the story of Indian Advertising over the decades.

Mundkur may have moved on, but he will live on in the hearts of those who knew him.

Campaign India pays homage to the advertising stalwart. May his soul rest in peace.