S Kumars co-founder passes away

Textile doyen and co-founder of the S Kumars group, Abhay Kumar S Kasliwal (74), passed away on Tuesday. Kasliwal was keeping indifferent health in the recent past, after he suffered a stroke.

Abhay Kasliwal co-founded the S Kumars group along with his brother, Shambhu Kumar Kasliwal in 1948. Today, the group has diverse interests in textiles, hydro power, real estate and entertainment. A self-educated, industrious and visionary businessman, Kasliwal started his career at 17.

Kasliwal headed several prominent trade and industry organisations including the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce and Industry, All India Employers and International Chamber of Commerce.

During his stint at FICCI, he initiated several policy changes for making the industry competitive. That was the time when India was opening up to globalisation.

He was also the chairman of The Synthetic & Rayon Textiles Export Promotion Council, Indian Council of Arbitration, Trustee of the Mumbai Port Trust among others.

According to industry sources, Kasliwal excelled in a feel for textiles, particularly uniform and daily wear clothing.

Subsequently, he led the group's diversification into software and was keen to enter the power sector. The soft-spoken Kasliwal, who was very closely linked with the textile industry, scripted the takeover of Shree Ram Textile Mills, one of the oldest mills in the city, beset with many problems especially after the prolonged textile strike in the early 1980s.

As head of the S Kumars group, he turned the family business into one of the household names in the country. Kasliwal is survived by his wife, younger brother Shambhu Kumar and sons Ambuj, Warij, Vikas, Nitin and Mukul.