"Ice Cream Man of India" R.S. Kamath Dies
R.S. Kamath of ‘Naturals’ Ice Cream passes away.
Raghunandan Srinivas Kamath, the founder of India’s popular and unique Naturals brand of ice cream, passed away at his Mumbai home on Friday, May 17th, 2024 after a brief illness. The visionary entrepreneur who breathed his last at the age of 70, has left behind a delectable legacy to the tune of Rs. 400 Crore. The man who started out as the son of a mango-seller in the district of Mangalore (Mangaluru), Karnataka, now has 160 outlets across 15 Indian states to his name. How’s that for realising Bombay Dreams?
Kamath’s extraordinary story has been richly narrated by Mumbai-based journalist Pooja Bhula in her co-authored book ‘Intelligent Fanatics of India’. In this well-researched publication, Bhula traces Kamath’s modest beginnings when he left his home for Bombay in the late 1960s to begin working at his brother’s restaurant.
Back then, kulfi was the obvious dessert of choice and ice cream of synthetic flavours a more luxurious alternative. It was then that Kamath realised that there could be a market for ice cream made from actual fruits. But to woo customers toward this new creation, the smart young man initially served it as an add-on to the Bombay staple of pav bhaji. Kamath went on to establish his first ice cream parlour in 1984 at the Mumbai suburb of Juhu. He was the first Indian to dream up the tender coconut and custard apple ice creams, which have become extremely popular choices.
Bhula also documented the many risks Kamath took, highlighting his acumen as a practical businessman. But what drove him was his genuine passion for Indian fruits and his desire to “bring out the beauty” in them. Requested for comment on Kamath’s passing, Bhula told the Indian Express newspaper that Kamath’s personality reflected his product: sweet and pleasant. This was evident, she added, from his “warmth, loyalty… humility and sense of humour.” It indeed looks like Bhula got more than the “scoop” of this ice cream man.
