By Tarlochan Singh | India |
Sixty years ago, Texla TV was the talk of the town in Punjab. If you visited almost any household, you would find the television set proudly placed in the drawing room. Television had only begun appearing in India a few years earlier, and only a select few people could enjoy it by importing TV sets from abroad.
Texla TV set up factories in Delhi and Ludhiana, bringing a revolution in Punjab’s television market. Its founder, S. Raja Singh Oberai, came to India as a refugee from Rawalpindi, Pakistan. He began his career as a labourer in a vegetable shop in Delhi. Reflecting his humility, he kept a photograph of himself working there permanently displayed in his office. He became widely known as the ‘TV man of India’ for manufacturing low-cost radio and TV sets.
One of Texla TV’s biggest contributions, which earned appreciation across the Sikh world, was sponsoring a 15-minute kirtan programme on All India Radio. The popular broadcast began with the shabad “Koi Bole Ram-Ram, Koi Khudai”, and Sikh families across the country would listen to it with devotion.
Join the conversation on this story on Asia Samachar’s Facebook and Instagram pages.
Soon afterwards, responding to public demand, Texla TV began producing kirtan shabad cassettes, which quickly gained international demand. The company also started organising Kirtan Darbars in various cities. One memorable event was the legendary Kirtan Darbar held at Ashoka Hall in Rashtrapati Bhavan in 1983.
To provide proper education for children of American Sikh families, S. Raja Singh established Guru Ram Das Academy on Rajpura Road in Dehradun.
During the tragic violence in Delhi in 1984, Texla TV factories suffered heavy losses. Despite this setback, S. Raja Singh continued helping affected families in relief camps. He also established a colony in Ludhiana for displaced families from Delhi.
S. Raja Singh passed away in Ludhiana on Feb 28, 2026, at the age of 90.
(Tarlochan Singh, Ex-M.P, Former Chairman of National Commission Minorities)
RELATED STORY:
Dr Manmohan Singh: Priceless diamond (Asia Samachar, 31 Dec 2024)
ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond. You can leave your comments at our website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. We will delete comments we deem offensive or potentially libelous. You can reach us via WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 or email: asia.samachar@gmail.com. For obituary announcements, click here
