F C Kohli, the man who made Indian IT go places, passes away at 96

Faqir Chand Kohli, better known as father of the Indian software industry, passed away on Thursday after a heart attack. He was 96. Kohli was the founder and the first chief executive of the country’s largest IT services company, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). Kohli, the author of ‘The IT Revolution in India’, will be remembered as both a pioneer and a visionary. 

Even before taking over as the boss of TCS, Kohli was using technology to solve problems for the Indian power sector. In the mid-1960s, and as part of Tata Electric Companies, he was the architect of computerisation of the power grid that serves Mumbai. His association with Tata Electric for almost two decades saw Kohli being nominated as director of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineering (IEEE) in the US in 1973.

Kohli believed that though the software industry will continue to do well, it is the local language computing that needs attention and that the Indian hardware story should be scaled up. 

“IT is not just about software, it is about hardware, too. Add to this that software has to be in all languages, not just English. Since we have been focused on exports, we have capitalised on the English language. But there is no or very little software that caters to the needs of the 800 million Indians who do not speak English,” he had told Business Standard in an interview.

While Kohli and software go hand in hand, he has been active in the sphere of education as well. In 1959, when P K Kelkar became the founding director of the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, he got Kohli to join the faculty recruitment committee. Kohli had also steered the turnaround of the College of Engineering at Pune, the third oldest technical institute in Asia. Started in 1854, the institute had only its history to cherish. Kohli not only pushed the Maharashtra government to make the institute autonomous, but also set a road map for the college to regain its lost glory.

But above all, Kohli had spearheaded the technology revolution, leading up to the $100-billion Indian IT services industry.

Paying tribute to the legend, former MD and CEO of TCS S Ramadorai said Kohli’s death was a personal loss.

“It is a loss for the nation and for me and my family. He was a brilliant technocrat, visionary, business leader and a great human being. He was a mentor, guide and a true family friend.”

Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran, in a statement, said he was deeply saddened by the news. “He was a true legend, who laid the very foundations for India’s spectacular IT revolution and set the stage for the dynamic modern economy we enjoy today,’’ Chandrasekaran said, while remembering Kohli’s innovations in areas ranging from adult literacy to water purification, software engineering to automation, and more. “I have had the honour and privilege of working with and learning from Mr Kohli from the day he hired me as a trainee in TCS. Despite his momentous achievements, his simplicity and thoughtfulness is a lesson for us all. His enduring optimism and his ability to make ambitious bets leaves a legacy—one that has advanced a nation. I will miss him dearly,” he said.

Calling him a true pioneer, Wipro Founder Chairman Azim Premji said, “We have all followed in his footsteps. His contribution to the IT industry and thus to India is immeasurable.”

Infosys co-founder NR Narayana Murthy recalled how Kohli had laid the foundation for a strong TCS. ‘’I had the privilege of working with him on the Nasscom Executive Council during the early nineties. I pray that his soul rests in peace.”

Born and raised in Peshawar, Kohli majored in Physics from Punjab University. He went on to do his bachelor's in electrical engineering from Queen's University in 1946 and also worked for a year at the Canadian General Electric Company. From there, he headed to MIT to do his master's. In 1951, Kohli joined Ebasco International Corporation, New York. In August 1951, he returned to India and joined Tata Electric.

A true visionary and luminary, who brought India on the global IT map.