Shashank Gupta means 'Moon Secret'. His mother thought naming her very dark third-born so would mysteriously lighten his complexion. This has not happened in 49 years. Instead, his career has waxed and waned like the moon. After attending boarding school in a beautiful hill-town, he learnt to look at the workers on his father's farm with utter disdain, but want of good grades pushed him to horticulture. Two months into his PhD, he revolted and bolted, choosing to work on the blessed farm. And then 6 years of growing-cutting-growing crops and the bleak prospects of gentlemen farmers in India, made him run away to Mumbai at 29. He went on to become a copywriter in advertising at the very bottom of the ladder and took 7 years and some terrible campaigns to be called a creative director.