Celebrating 50 years of The Hindu in Hyderabad with Cafe Niloufer

Some advertisements come from a brief. Some come from a memory.
When the brief for The Hindu’s 50 years in Hyderabad came to us, the easy route was to create a regular congratulatory ad. But we felt this milestone deserved something more meaningful.

There was a beautiful connection. The Hindu is 50 years in Hyderabad. Cafe Niloufer is 48. Both have grown with the city and have been part of its everyday life for generations.

The idea became even more personal because, back in 1983, while studying BFA at Masab Tank, our MD, Bankupalli Ganesh, would spend hours at Cafe Niloufer. With his sketchbook and a cup of chai, he observed the people and the energy around him. He would often notice journalists, reporters and printers gathering at Niloufer discussing stories, work and everything happening around the city.

That memory stayed with him. And 43 years later, it became the starting point for this advertisement.
Instead of doing the usual newspaper and chai product shot, we chose to recreate a moment from that time a journalist, his notebook and his camera. The hand-drawn treatment was intentional. It makes the visual feel like a memory rather than an advertisement.

“A Constant Companion in This 50-Year Journalistic Journey” is therefore more than a headline. It speaks of a relationship that has quietly existed for decades.
48 years of Cafe Niloufer.
50 years of The Hindu in Hyderabad.
Countless stories, conversations and cups of chai.
For us, this is what made the work special. We didn't create a connection for the advertisement. We found one that was already there