When you listen to Deepesh Jha talk, it quickly becomes apparent that he is like an ageing rock star—eager to relive the glory days. The co-founder of The Partnership, he is an advertiser’s advertiser: writing is how he sees the world; words are how he hopes the world sees him.
If the years have taught him something—he recently just turned 50—is to focus on what matters.
As you grow older, you learn to be better at being who you are. And who he is just another funny guy trying to get a private pilot’s license while crossing his fingers that some of his jokes will, erm, land.
For someone in a place that uses a lot of mental energy, how do you silence your mind?
I have a lot of minders. The discipline of seeing past the noise comes with three decades of working.
What’s it like being you?
It has always been about enjoying what I do.Being here at work is rooted in my quest for perfection, and I find great joy in reading up and storytelling. My work and my play complement each other.
What do you mean by play?
I get home and continue to do the things I do the most, which is being creative. I have reading interests and hobbies.
Which book have your read that shifted the way you think?
“The Virtue of Being Selfish” by Ayn Rand changed the way I looked at things in life. Selfishness is very misunderstood in life. The idea of pursuing something is truly selfish, and selfless acts come from the idea of doing it focused on the objective you want to achieve.
What’s a selfish decision you’ve made for yourself?
If you look at my shoe closet, you’ll find a lot of selfishness, haha! But giving yourself every day some moments that give you joy is a small act of selfishness.
What do you do just for yourself?
I invest a lot into being. I consciously take time to do things that are important to me holistically. I truly believe that being obsessed with one particular thing doesn’t make you complete—devote some time to your physical health, mental well-being, and responsibilities.
What’s your morning ritual?
Tea is very important to me, and so are cookies and biscuits. I do about an hour of exercise; I pray but no meditation. My morning is devoted to giving yourself well.
No gym?
No. I exercise on a simple mat at home. I grew up with a lot of athletes around me.
You mentioned that you grew up with an army father. How did that shape who you are today?
It taught me discipline and the other is the ability to take a stand and commit to the things that matter.
How are you raising your children differently from how you were raised?
A lot of variables have changed, but the principles are the same. I believe that you should be a safety net for your children—no matter what happens, you are there to catch them. And you elevate them to a place where they can fly and take the reins.
What do you remember most about your childhood?
Travel. Dad was in the army, so every two years we left for a new place. That got into my life, and so the idea of seeing new places and experiencing new things has stayed with me.
What’s a place you have travelled to that remains etched in your memory?
When we were about eight years old and my sister was five, we did a 20-day road trip to the south of India. It had phenomenal architecture. We went through the cities and national reserves, and the four of us confined in a car bonded us as a family.
Growing up with a disciplinarian tends to straightjacket children. Is this your experience?
My father was strict on the outside, but I suspect he was more emotional than my mother. He gave us much more latitude than she did, and he was severely disappointed when I chose a creative career. But he allowed it.
How has your relationship changed over the years?
You talk more to your mother, but that has not changed; what we share with the father in the little you talk is much deeper and more meaningful.
Are you an emotional being?
Wow. I am not very expressive with emotions, but I am extremely comfortable feeling things, and I have no filter for expressing them, for good or bad.
What’s a family ritual you have created that you didn’t have growing up?
Weekends were not a concept we understood then. In my life now, weekends are critical.
What’s your idea of a good weekend?
Some me-time, some us-time. Tinkering around in the garage with my hobby, some distress binge-watching—I am a Formula 1 junkie. I also play football with my son on Sunday before the family lunch.
You fix cars?
I scale cars, which I build, dismantle, and upgrade. That’s my man cave. In the house but by myself.
Has any of your children picked up after you?
I have kept a small stool for my son, as I want him to use his hands once in a while and I encourage him to play around.
What would you teach your father about fatherhood?
I have not reached that place. I look at it and I am happy that my father figure is still my father figure.
What is something you have changed your mind about lately?
I never thought I would be an entrepreneur. It goes outside of my consideration for most of my life. It’s been a good rush.
The Partnership's Chief Creative Officer, Deepesh Jha, poses for a picture after the interview at his office in Westlands on October 29, 2024.
Photo credit: Francis Nderitu | Nation Media Group
Who are you to yourself?
The best relationship anyone can have with themselves is kindness. We are all on a journey to discovering ourselves, and the kinder you are, the better you are.
You recently turned 50. What are you learning in your 50s that was missing in your 40s?
I have remained young at heart and realised you can’t set milestones around numbers in life. When I turned 50, I realised a number is not a definition of any milestone in life. Your happiness is what matters.
What matters way less than you thought it would?
Great question. The idea of being defined by your possessions. As you grow older, you realise you are not chasing a thing. You realise with age that you are your best critic and affirmation.
People’s affirmations and criticisms are not your benchmarks—they matter less now. You do not need external benchmarks to tell people how good you are.
What led to that realisation?
There was no particular moment; it was just something deeply seated in me. Over time, it became clearer, and I stopped seeking that clarification.
What is something difficult you go through that not many people get to see?
I am blessed with a simple life. I don’t bungee jump, so my difficulty comes from the choice of work. I am very happy to be an us or a we. In the creative world, your ego drives you to say that this is me, but I always encourage us.
What is something I wouldn’t believe about you?
That I dance. Do not believe anyone who tells you that I dance.
What’s the soundtrack of your life now?
“Eye of the Tiger”by Survivor Band. The idea of staying focused, picking up a challenge—that is what drives me. It is better to approach life with the idea that it is one small battle at a time.
If you weren’t this businessman, what would you have become?
I was extremely inclined to be an aeronautical engineer. I walked away from an opportunity to study aeronautical engineering because of some life choices at 17 years old that took me to advertising.
That should explain my hobby of tinkering. My 50th birthday gift was a cheque from my wife as a first installment to get my private pilot license. Hopefully 2025…
Why planes specifically?
I have always wanted to fly. I love being behind machines. I have enjoyed bikes, small motocross, and cars. I am a machine kind of guy.
If you could go back to any point in your life, where would you go?
Back to my college days. We were all boys and did a bike trip with three of my friends, whom we are still close with after all these years. It truly is a happy moment when four young guys start life together.
Tell me a story from your childhood that is a good representation of your life now.
Very interesting. When I was a child, my dad got me a mini projector that you could load a cartridge and you could see a small clip of animation or cartoon.
One of my friends had the same camera, so we got into a school fair and set up a stall. We made so much money that day because children wanted to see short cartoons that day.
I had so much money my father never gave me any pocket money [chuckles]. Even the school teachers just took a small portion, the rest we kept. Now I see myself selling commercials and stories and making money.
What’s your relationship with money now?
Comfortable. I tell my friends take to the truth lightly. That has taught me my relationship with money, when you have a lot of money, take to that truth lightly. If you have little money don’t let that define you, take to that truth lightly.
What is the dumbest thing you’ve bought?
I have to uninstall the AliExpress App because I have quite a few of those haha! I bought a Wi-Fi bulb which lights up when you walk up under it. I find it very useless.
What’s life’s simplest pleasure?
Food. The joy of cracking open three eggs and making an omelette. I am not a foodie per se, but small releases in food are the simplest in life. I enjoy the Indian street-style omelette; I don’t know about its germ content; perhaps it’s what makes it tasty [chuckles].
What will your billboard say about you?
He came, he saw, and he laughed.
As a man who works in advertising, which is more important, intelligence or advertising?
You have to have both. You can be extremely intelligent, but you need a lot of common sense.
What’s something you long believed to be true but, with time, realised isn’t?
That chemistry in love is common. It is the dedication that makes any relationship last.
What’s your superpower?
My sense of humour.
What is a misconception people have about you?
That I come off as distant and aloof as a person.
Who do you know that I should know?
You should know yourself. Our deepest strength lies deep in ourselves. We place so much emphasis on emulating other people. If I know me, you should know you.
