Prof. Tarun Gupta
Friend, Philosopher, and Guide
Key Achievement
The pioneer of visual aids in India, Master of strategy execution, and an exceptional teacher
Prof. Tarun Gupta
By Chinmay Mitra
Member of the Mitra family | Witness to TG's vision and persistence
We remember it as if it were yesterday.
In the 1970s, when Mr. Tarun Gupta—fondly known as TG—became Managing Director of Glaxo after leading its Family Care Division, he was a frequent visitor to our Calcutta (now Kolkata) home. TG was more than a guest; he was a cherished friend of the Mitra family.
A Visionary's Mission
His visits had a purpose. He wanted Professor Chitta Mitra to start an organization that would study the inclinations of medical practitioners in India. At that time, Professor Mitra, a Senior Professor of Marketing at IIM Calcutta and Visiting Professor at Harvard Business School and MIT, was deeply engaged in his academic life and hesitant to take on TG's proposal.
But TG was relentless. He believed in the idea with all his heart and never gave up.
In 1976, his persistence bore fruit when he convinced Mrs. Annapurna Mitra, then a teacher at a leading girls' school in Calcutta, and Mr. Chinmay Mitra to establish the organization.
The Legacy of TG
TG was the kind of person who left a mark wherever he went. He was a mentor, a guide, and a force of inspiration. His contributions earned him many awards, but more than that, he won the admiration and love of everyone around him.
His positivity and dedication touched lives and left people truly mesmerized.
At C MARC, we feel blessed to have had TG as our friend, philosopher, and guide. The memories we shared with him are treasures we will carry for the rest of our lives.
TG's vision and persistence created the foundation for modern pharmaceutical brand management in India.
His belief in the power of understanding physician behavior transformed an entire industry.
The Tarun Gupta I Know: Lessons from a Guru Who Taught Me How to Think
By Prof. Vivek Hattangadi
"The true test of a teacher is not what his students know—but how they think when he is no longer in the room."
I still remember the year 1988 as if it were yesterday.
After more than a decade in sales management with a multinational company, I moved into brand management at Sun Pharma. At that time, I believed I was merely changing roles. I did not know that I was about to be transformed—intellectually, professionally, and deeply personally.
Looking back, I realise something with absolute clarity: I was exceptionally fortunate.
A Vision for Global Leadership
Dilip Shanghvi had an unwavering belief—if Sun Pharma had to become a global leader, it had to be strong at home first. And strength at home meant building powerful brands. Not tactical brands. Not short-term brands. But brands rooted in thinking, strategy, and purpose.
To bring this philosophy alive, he invited Prof. Tarun Gupta to train the brand management team at Sun Pharma. That was the moment TG, as he was widely known, entered my professional life—not merely as a trainer, but as a Guru.
He later introduced Prof. Chitta Mitra to Sun Pharma—and to me. Together, they would quietly redefine how Indian pharmaceutical marketers understood their role—not as sellers of products, but as custodians of brands.
Standing on the Shoulders of Giants
Like all great teachers, Tarun Gupta himself stood on the shoulders of a giant—Theodore "Ted" Levitt of Harvard Business School, former editor of the Harvard Business Review. Levitt's seminal article Marketing Myopia asked a question that still unsettles marketers across generations:
"What business are you really in?"
TG handed me a photocopy of that article and insisted I internalise it. Not memorise it. Not quote it. Live it.
The "Terror" That Elevated
When I made my first presentation under his guidance, he dismantled it with ruthless precision. Every assumption was challenged. Every loose thought exposed. That day, I understood why some students—half joking, half terrified—called him "Terror Gupta."
But his "terror" had a noble intent.
He believed comfort was the enemy of growth. His classroom was never a comfort zone—it was a learning zone. He demanded excellence not to intimidate, but to elevate. He wanted his students to think sharply, question deeply, and never settle for the obvious.
Hindustan Unilever is often referred to as a "CEO factory." In the pharmaceutical industry, Prof. Tarun Gupta deserves a similar legacy. His students are spread across the industry, many of them instrumental in building some of India's most respected pharmaceutical companies.
Yet, despite his formidable intellect, TG possessed a rare quality—humility. He listened intently and welcomed good ideas from anyone, regardless of designation. He helped institutionalise the visual aid, a tool developed nearly five decades ago, yet still ubiquitous in pharma marketing today.
A Lesson in Humility
He is often remembered for his mastery in strategy execution, especially at Glaxo. Once, over lunch, I told him that the industry admired him most for this. He smiled gently and said,
"Vivek, that is truly exaggerated. What we achieved in Glaxo was not even twenty per cent."
That single sentence revealed the depth of the man.
Despite all he had accomplished, he lived by a quiet conviction:
"My best has yet to come."
That mindset—of relentless learning, of never arriving—is perhaps his greatest lesson for young brand managers today.
Together, Prof. Chitta Mitra and Prof. Tarun Gupta transformed Indian pharmaceutical marketing.
In the 1980s, they catalysed a decisive shift—from a selling mindset to a marketing mindset. It was not loud. It was not flamboyant. But it permanently altered how an industry thought, planned, and built brands.
As his student, I bow in gratitude.
As a marketer, I carry his teachings forward.
As a lifelong learner, I still ask myself the questions he taught me to ask.
Long live Prof. Chitta Mitra.
Long live Prof. Tarun Gupta.
On this World Pharma Brand Managers Day, we celebrate Gurus who shaped not just brands—but the minds and conscience of those who build them.
The Foundation He Built
Year Established
C MARC Founded
Years of Impact
Infinite Inspiration
Visionary Leader
Unforgettable Legacy
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