Who was Sylvester daCunha, the creator of iconic Amul girl?

In 1966, the then Managing Director of advertising agency ASP, Sylvester daCunha, and his art director Eustace Fernandes had designed the iconic Amul Girl campaign which won the hearts of millions.

Sylvester daCunha, the man who created the lovable Amul Girl 'utterly butterly' campaign in 1966, the doyen of Indian advertising, passed away late on Tuesday, his associates said. Sylvester was in his 80s and is survived by his wife Nisha, their son and advertising master Rahul daCunha.

In 1966, the then Managing Director of advertising agency ASP, Sylvester daCunha, and his art director Eustace Fernandes had designed the iconic Amul Girl campaign which won the hearts of millions.

This commercial had a unique sense of humour, and the cheeky Amul Girl, dressed in a polka-dotted dress and sporting rosy, chubby cheeks, didn't hesitate to make fun of the powerful in India, including Amitabh Bachchan, the late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, the current Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and many others.

Tributes poured on social media for the ad-master with Amul India GM Marketing, Pavan Singh, expressing sadness at Sylvester`s passing.

"Very sad to learn that Sylvester daCunha, the legend of the Indian Advertising world, is no longer amongst us. It was an honour to have learnt the art of Brand communication and advertising, from him over nearly 3 decades," said Singh.

Singh also recalled how it was Sylvester Dacunha who had initiated Amul's "immortal, iconic topical campaign in 1966, which is one of longest continuously running advertising campaigns in the world".