Raja Singh, the man who brought affordable TVs and radios into Indian homes and earned the title of the ‘TV man of India,’ passed away in Ludhiana on February 28. He was 90 years old. “Our father passed away at Ludhiana’s DMCH on February 28, after battling old-age-related issues for some time,” said his eldest son, Kawaljit Singh Oberoi, speaking to The Indian Express.
Raja Singh, ‘TV Man of India’, passes away at 90
Before launching Texla in 1972, Raja Singh started Jupiter Radios in 1961. These radios were budget-friendly and became very popular. Kawaljit said, “Texla went on to dominate the Punjab market, capturing nearly 95 per cent of the TV market share. My father never had any formal education, but his hard work and dedication brought him success.”
Raja Singh’s brothers, Inderjit Oberoi and Sukhwinder Oberoi, now manage the family business in Dehradun.
After Texla, Raja Singh introduced several other brands, including Beltek and Bestavision. He set up TV manufacturing units in Ludhiana, including a picture tube unit, laying the foundation for a booming electronics industry in the city.
Eary life and rise
Born on February 19, 1936, in Hillan village near Rawalpindi (now in Pakistan), Raja Singh faced Partition at the age of 11, moving to Delhi and working as a labourer with a vegetable vendor. Despite having no formal education, he founded Jupiter Radios in 1961. The company produced low-cost radios and transistors, selling up to 1.5 lakh radios annually.
Texla entered the TV market in 1972, producing just 2,500 sets in its first year. By 1988-89, production had soared to 3 lakh black-and-white and colour TVs per year. By 1982, Texla launched its colour TV range, and a year later introduced affordable black-and-white portable TVs.
Growing demand led to the establishment of a Ludhiana unit with a capacity of 2 lakh sets per year. In 1986, the company diversified into B&W picture tubes.
Texla’s efforts were recognised in 1989 when it received the National Productivity Award for Best Productivity Performance in Consumer Electronics for 1987-88
A philanthropic vision
Singh started initiatives to spread education to the underprivileged and created platforms to telecast Gurbani (teachings of Sri Guru Granth Sahib) to the masses. He also established the Guru Ram Das Charitable Trust, which runs schools and colleges in Ludhiana and Dehradun.
The family later expanded into hospitality with Nirvana Luxury Hotel in Ludhiana and into plastics with Texla Plastics and Metals in Kanganwal, Ludhiana.
Kawaljit added, “My father himself had suffered so much during Partition that during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, he gave jobs to the survivors.”
Today, the company still runs a TV production unit in Noida but has diversified into road safety products under the brand Dark Eye, plastics moulds and dyes, and continues its ventures in education and hospitality.