Mayur always picks up on the first ring.

A: Listen, did you go somewhere to learn copywriting? Or how to be a creative?

M: Adyasha, you could say ‘Hi’ first. Or ask if I am ‘free to talk?’

A: No, what are these chhe-din-copywriting-in courses all over the internet? Where did you go to learn to be creative?

Mayur takes an audibly deep sigh. “The School of all Knocks.”

Let me tell you about something very important to me. Professional upbringing. It doesn’t happen in six days. Or six weeks. It doesn’t happen with courses on LinkedIn. It happens when people happen to you.

A: Like mentors?

M: Mentors, tormentors, dementors! Listen.

A (to readers): When Mayur slips into a Holalogue^TM, you sit back and take notes.

M: Here’s my professional upbringing. This is not an ode.

A (looks at camera, like Jim in The Office): Defs an ode.

M: Let me tell you a little bit about my profesh DNA.

I walk into McCann a noob. Ashish Chakravarty shows me a One Show and what a great idea looks like. I learn that referencing is not stealing and being inspired to do better is life 101.

-   I work with Jayant Mathew, art person extraordinaire. I learn spatial awareness, structure and the science of eating a Dominator pizza in one sitting.

-   Then I get to work with Freddy. Yes his highness, Birdy. Freddy quietly goes about being a genius. And tells me to finish work and go home. To play, make love, eat well, do whatever. To be anywhere but at the office.

-   I play cricket with Prateek Bhardwaj; the most inspiring captain I’ve played cricket with. The best presenter, the most charismatic rogue ever. And learn that you never just create the work. You create an aura.

-   I am adopted by Nandu; the purest, maddest, deepest soul ever. Nandu transforms me from an enfant terrible by placing all the interns in the agency with me. They fix me instantly as they are more effed up than I am. I learn to be a leader before I’ve even learnt to write.

-   I watch Prasoon as he roars that if all of you can’t do it, I will in my Y fronts. And he does. Because he can slip into god mode like that. It’s THE most important knock of all. Never let go of the ability to do the work yourself.

-   I observe Ajay the effortless Gahlaut. Ajay could stroll through company bagh, chug many beers, sit at home over morning chai and coax brilliance out of us dunces. I learn that staying chill through a crisis is a super power.

-   I work with Ashish Chakravarty again. Life changing again. Ashish would just not settle and is the most bloody-minded leader I know. Together we win everything, everywhere. Legacy and dynasties are built by exerting absolute control and single-minded purpose, I learn.

-   I partner with Jitender Dabas. Jitu’s grasp over a problem and the speed at which he arrives at the solution is gobsmacking. Jitu’s storytelling lies at the cross section of street smart and book smart. Learn both and you’re a fortress.

-   I drift upon Rohit Kapoor, an island of jovial calm in a sea of chaos. Rohit is the only leader I know whose team members genuinely like each other and want to work symbiotically. It’s Houdini-like, I’m still figuring out how he does it.

Mayur can’t see Adyasha but Adyasha is nodding, a lot.

A: And that’s how I am learning! On the job. And luckily – with some of the same people. Through crises and fires and failures and fights. Through people good and people not so good.

M: And it’s what gives you what it takes to go all the way. Without my professional upbringing, I wouldn’t be here.

A: Here talking to me? On a Saturday?

M: Shoo! Go do what Freddy said.

Tomar is creative director, McCann Worldgroup, and Hola is vice president - brand, Swiggy. This first appeared in the August issue of Manifest. Get your copy now!