Suburb January 2019

FEATURE
AN OPTICAL VIEW OF THE
INDIAN OPTICAL INDUSTRY
The pioneers of the Indian optical industry --Lalit Kalra, Director of Dayal Opticals,
Shrawan Binani, founder Himalaya Opticalsand Sandip Pahwa, Director, Laxmi
Opticians– feel that the industry has come a long way and there is room for
improvement for the betterment of the industry players. They talk about the level of
standardization needed, impact of the new GST tax regime and also highlighted the
issues currently faced by the industry with SUBURB. Excerpts...
Vasujit Kalia
Q: You have been in this industry
for a long time and have seen
the ups and downs over the
decades. Can you elaborate on
the level of sophistication that
the industry has currently
achieved?
Shrawan Binani: There is no denying in the
fact that the industry has attained a lot of
sophistication in the last decade and a lot
of evolution has taken place in frames and
lenses sector. Along with the evolution, the
industryhas also adopted the best practices
which are at par with the world.
Lalit Kalra: Though the overall industry is
doing well, but as far as professional
standards are concerned, the graph is
definitely facing downward. Some brands
are indulging in heavy discounts and low
quality products, while some are quoting
erratic pricing – this is eating into our
profits.
Sandip Pahwa: The Company Laxmi
Opticians has been in the trade since 1950
and I joined them almost thirty three years
back since then there has been lot
ofgrowth in our industry. The industry is
currently maintaining international
standards and optical stores in India can be
compared to the optical stores anywhere in
the world.
Q. What steps should be taken to
improve the industry?
38
suburb life | January 2019