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By : Marc Lourdes
source
KUALA LUMPUR: The last of the Kamdar brothers, one of Malaysia’s retail pioneers, was laid to rest yesterday. Shree Harsukhlal Maganlal Kamdar, 81, passed away of age-related illnesses at the Subang Jaya Medical Centre on Saturday morning.
His grandnephew, Jayesh Kamdar, said Harsukhlal had been suffering poor health since the beginning of the year. Jayesh, who has been running the public-listed Kamdar Group of Companies for the last two years, said Kamdar’s death was a great loss, but the family was coping with it.
His home in Bangsar was packed with family, friends and company employees, many still in their work uniforms, who had come to pay last respects. Also present were Lembah Pantai and Puchong members of parliament Nurul Izzah Anwar and Gobind Singh Deo.
Kamdar, who is survived by his 76-year-old widow, Lalitaben H. Kamdar, was cremated at the Cheras crematorium at 2.30pm. His name is familiar to generations of Malaysians and will be missed most of all by the Gujarati community, to which he belonged.
A founding member and former president of the Malaysian Gujarati Association, he was a well-known and highly respected figure. “He had always been a pillar of strength and support for the community and an institution unto himself, especially when it came to social and charitable work,” said current association president Datuk Bhupat Rai M. Premji.
He said Kamdar had always taken the lead in assisting disaster relief efforts. “After the 2001 earthquake in Gujarat, he donated RM1 million of his own money and was out on the field himself, helping out with relief efforts,” he said.
Kamdar, he added, was a man of humility despite his tremendous success in life. “He would come to our association building in Jalan Maarof and help to sweep the floors. “He would also play and talk with the children there.
“I think his legacy of charity will live longer than the name he made in business,” said Premji.
Kamdar formed the family business with his brothers Balvantrai and Kishore, who passed away in 1996 and 2006 respectively. They opened their first store in Ipoh in 1950. Their landmark Kuala Lumpur outlet was opened in 1972, the same year Kamdar was incorporated as a private limited company. It was listed on the main board of the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange in March 2005.
Today, there are 21 stores around peninsular Malaysia, with more in the pipeline in Sabah and Sarawak this year. All the outlets were closed yesterday as a mark of respect and mourning.
