The founder of one of India's oldest and leading direct marketing agency, a pioneer in the relationship marketing business, a charismatic leader and an excellent human being - Vivek Basrur . On 5th May 2005 the DM industry lost a very important and notable person. This loss has shaken and deeply grieved his near and dear ones, the Direxions' families and the entire DM fraternity.

Vivek Basrur, to all who knew him or even had an opportunity to meet him, was a kind and a very approachable person. He had a very unique way of relating to people and was always concerned about the well being of others. He believed in giving people opportunities and growing them not only as professionals but also as better individuals.

Vivek, was a man who had great vision and foresight. The entire DM fraternity held him in high esteem for his invaluable contribution to the industry. 16 years of his hard work has resulted in his dream of Direxions being a leader in the relationship marketing business.

His passion for DM and relationship marketing took him to international fronts as well, where his involvement with international DM agencies lead to Direxions being the only agency in the India region to be nominated to the InterDirect Network (a network of international direct marketing agencies, where only one agency per country can be a member). For two successive years, Vivek was chosen to be on the jury for the prestigious Advertising and Film festival held at Cannes.

The advertising and DM world will miss the presence of a visionary for a long time to come. But Vivek's spirit and positive attitude has created an organization, an institution and an industry, which will continue the legacy he began.

A LEGEND IS HONOURED

Mumbai, Aug 2, 2012: At the first DMAI convention, held at The Leela - Mumbai, the DMAi Hall of Fame honoured our founder the late Mr. Vivek Basrur with the posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award in Direct Marketing.

The award was presented at a grand ceremony on August 2, by Mr. Sanjay Swarup and his wife Mrs. Mala Swarup, to Ms. Leena Basrur, in the presence of the DM and marketing fraternity. Leena received a standing ovation from the dignitaries present, comprising DM gurus, both national and international. Also present were clients, some who had worked with Vivek Basrur, remembering him as a great visionary.

Accepting this award, Leena shared Vivek's vision of creating a company that was customer centric and would provide insights to clients. She said that DIREM (now Direxions) was the agency that Vivek set up and put his entire passion and spirit into building.

He was a man who achieved phenomenal success in whatever field he adopted. His talent, perseverance and ability to engage with people was unparalleled.

This is truly a proud moment for us all.