Entrepreneurial spirit and a commitment to innovation

How does one describe a many-sided genius like T.P.G. Nambiar? Was he the forerunner of the “Make in India” revolution in consumer electronics or a humble individual who had a vision that he set out to fulfil in ample measure?

From being a young visionary from the backwoods of Kerala, Gopalan Nambiar, over time, strode like a colossus across the world of consumer electronics in India, and blazed a trail that mystified most people who never realised the genius of the boy-next-door.

Not enough has been said, or written, about T.P.G. Nambiar, who was relatively unknown till the late 1960s or the early 1970s, when BPL started making significant strides in the Indian consumer electronics sector. Few recognised that one of his most important attainments was a commitment to innovation and quality at one level, and his entrepreneurial spirit and his strong relationship with employees, customers and suppliers at the other.

Reams can be written about the innovations that he introduced and his vision, but it is unlikely that these would capture the spirit and determination of a person who set goals that marked him out to be a genius, intent on revolutionising the world of consumer electronics in India.

Breaking the mould

I got to know T.P.G. Nambiar personally only in the late 1980s, though already by then, his reputation had preceded him. I was aware that by then, TPG had broken the mould that in a controlled economy, smaller entities should bow down to the Birlas and Tatas to flourish. Nothing in his demeanour gave the impression of being a colossus, which he indeed was, as he still maintained the common touch, according the same treatment to the high and low in industry.

I still remember the day when a middle-level employee of BPL, who knew that my daughter was betrothed to Mr. Nambiar’s son, mentioned to me that I must have done something good in my previous life to have my daughter marry into the Nambiar household. I did not realise at the time how true this was.

Mr. Nambiar had a gruff exterior, but a heart of gold. He was generous to a fault, though admittedly he did not suffer fools easily. He had an all-encompassing vision, but never lost the common touch.

To me and some others who knew him, he was an Indian version of Edwards Deming, who had taught the Japanese the essence of team work and developed the principles of quality control. Nambiar treated his workers and associates not as subordinates, but instead inspired them to work well. He, however, treated me with condescension, as a person with little understanding of the ways of the world having spent an entire lifetime within the cloistered precincts of a government office.

I owe him a great deal for not only being a father, rather than a father-in-law, to my daughter but also as a person who taught me the rudiments of survival outside the structured world of the civil service and bestowed on me a fully equipped office in which to work in the years after I left government. Above all, he was an inspiration, to me as to thousands of others, on how virtue was its own reward, how to inspire by example, how to move mountains provided one had the right perspective, and above all to be true to oneself.

T.P.G. Nambiar was, and will, always be an inspiration to thousands of people, but above all, will exemplify the oft-repeated “Here is a man”.

Au revoir, TPG. Your name and fame will continue to inspire many many more persons, and your light will continue to shine and will never dim.

(M.K. Narayanan is a former Director, Intelligence Bureau, former National Security Adviser, and former Governor of West Bengal)

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