Camlin Group's Subhash Dandekar No More; Head Of Iconic Company Passes Away At 81

From your compass to the protractor and the divider, many kids went to and still go to their schools on 'Camelback'. Here, the reference is to the brand Camlin. The company and its emblematic yellow geometry box defined many childhoods and mathematics classes.

Dandekar Passes Away

The head of the Camlin group, Subhash Dandekar, who was at the centre of nurturing the brand founded by his family, passed away on July 15 at the age of 81 in Mumbai. Dandekar will be remembered for transforming the company under his leadership into the company that it is today.

Camlin was started by Digambar Parashuram Dandekar in 1931. Today, the company has come a long way and has donned a new name and a new look. The company, after its acquisition from the Japanese company Kokuyo (which holds 51 per cent of the company), came to known as Kokuyo Camlin.

The company in India employs 1095 employees.

Today, in order to appeal to the senses of its varied audiences and to cater to different segments of the larger audience, the company runs two different entities, namely Camlin and Camel.

Transition Of Camlin

Here, Camlin will serve the needs of its traditional market with school and college paraphernalia, from the famous geometry boss to other equipment. On the other hand, Camel will focus on the requirements of artistic expression.

This transition and the foundation for it were laid by Dandekar. Under his leadership, Camlin significantly expanded its product range. This meant that from producing school supplies, it went on to include office supplies and professional artist tools.

This was in addition to its established business of educational materials such as mathematical instruments, pencils, markers, and inks. Dandekar even headed the Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce from 1992-1997.