TP Gopalan Nambiar, founder of British Physical Laboratories (BPL) Limited, passed away at his residence in Bengaluru on Thursday, October 31. He was 96 years old and the father-in-law of former Union Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Rajeev Chandrasekhar. The company, which was established in 1963 in Palakkad district of Kerala, shifted to Church street in Bengaluru soon after.

The company started by making electronic devices for the Indian defence. Later, they expanded to producing colour televisions, video cassettes and went onto become one of the giants in the electronic sector in the country by the 1990s. Nambiar took son-in-law Rajeev Chandrasekar to the Company Law Board (CLB) in Chennai to assert the ownership of BPL Telecom. The CLB dismissed the appeal and Nambiar and Rajeev reached an out-of-court settlement.   

Former Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa expressed his condolences to the family of TPG Nambiar. “Saddened by the passing of Shri TPG Nambiar, founder of the iconic BPL brand, who has been a close acquaintance for a long time. Shri Nambiar's enormous contributions and legacy will always be remembered. My heartfelt condolences to his loved ones,” he said.

Nambiar’s family told the media that he has been physically unwell for some time now.

The Indian National Congress, in its social media handle, said Nambiar ignited the original 'Make-in-India' movement from Palakkad. “His work extended into defence, medical electronics, telecom, and export markets, creating thousands of jobs and uplifting Indian manufacturing on a global stage,” they added.

Congress leader and Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor said Nambiar was a visionary Kerala industrialist who ushered in a new chapter in electronics manufacturing here by setting up a state-of-the-art facility at Palakkad after acquiring British Physical Laboratories in 1961.  “A true pioneer who remains an inspiration,” he added.