F. C. Kohli facts for kids

Faqir Chand Kohli (born March 19, 1924 – died November 26, 2020) was a very important person in India's technology world. He helped start and was the first CEO of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). Today, TCS is India's biggest software company.

Mr. Kohli also worked with other companies in the Tata Group. He was even the President of NASSCOM, a group that supports India's Information Technology (IT) services. For his amazing work, he received the Padma Bhushan award in 2002. This is one of India's highest civilian honors. Many people call him the "Father of the Indian IT Industry." This is because he helped create and grow the technology sector in India.

Early Life and Education

F. C. Kohli was born in Peshawar, which was part of British India at the time. This city is now in Pakistan. He was born on March 19, 1924. He grew up in Peshawar, which was a military town.

He went to Khalsa Middle School and then National High School there. Later, he studied at Government College for Men in Lahore. He earned a Bachelor of Arts (BA) and a Bachelor of Science (BSc) from the University of the Punjab. He was a top student and won a gold medal.

After his father passed away, he got a scholarship to Queen's University, Canada. He earned another Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering in 1948. He then worked for a year at Canadian General Electric. In 1950, he completed his Master of Science (MS) in Electrical Engineering from MIT in the United States.

Building India's Tech Future

After finishing his studies, Mr. Kohli trained in how to run power systems. He worked at different companies in the United States. In 1951, he returned to India and joined the Tata Electric Company.

He helped set up a system to manage power operations. This system made sure electricity flowed smoothly. He became a general superintendent in 1963 and a deputy general manager in 1967.

Mr. Kohli was known for bringing new ideas to the power industry. He started using digital computers for designing and controlling power systems. He even used a large computer called the CDC 3600 at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. He also introduced advanced ways to manage engineering and operations.

Starting Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)

In 1969, something big happened. J. R. D. Tata, the chairman of the Tata Group, asked Mr. Kohli to help start a new company. This company was Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). It began after Tata Electric Company installed a computer system. This system controlled power lines between Mumbai and Pune. It was one of the first companies in the world to do this.

TCS first helped other Tata Group companies with their computer needs. Then, in 1972, TCS signed its first big contract. They started providing software services to a company called Burroughs Corporation. Mr. Kohli became the first CEO of TCS. He also served as its deputy chairman.

He led TCS for three decades, until 1996. Under his leadership, TCS grew into India's largest IT services company. It became the most valuable company within the Tata Group.

Beyond TCS: A Leader in IT

Mr. Kohli was also involved with many other Tata Group companies. He served on the boards of Tata Sons, Tata Industries, and Tata Unisys. He also helped lead Tata Electric Company and Tata Honeywell.

Outside of Tata, he was a director for other important companies. He was also the president and chairman of NASSCOM from 1995 to 1996. NASSCOM is a group that promotes India's IT services around the world. In this role, he helped India become a global leader in technology.

He was also part of many professional groups. These included the Computer Society of India and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).

Supporting Education

Mr. Kohli cared deeply about technical education in India. In 1959, he helped the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur choose and hire its first teachers. He also pushed for the College of Engineering, Pune to become an independent institute. He served as the chairman of its Board of Governors.

He held leadership roles in many professional societies. He was on the board of directors of the IEEE. He also served as president of the Computer Society of India.

A Lasting Legacy

Even after he retired, Mr. Kohli stayed active in technology. He worked on projects for adult literacy and clean water. He also helped with efforts to use regional languages in computing. He continued to advise TCS.

He is widely known as the "Father of the Indian IT Industry." This is because he was key in starting India's IT services industry. He helped it grow into a huge industry worth billions of dollars. He also trained many young professionals who became leaders in the tech world.

Awards and Honors

In 2002, F. C. Kohli received the Padma Bhushan. This is India's third-highest civilian award. He earned it for his great contributions to the Indian software industry.

He also received honorary degrees from many universities. These included Shiv Nadar University, University of Waterloo in Canada, and IIT Bombay. He was also a fellow of important organizations like the IEEE in the US.

Other awards he received include:

• Dadabhai Naoroji Memorial Award, 2000.
• Lifetime achievement award from The Economic Times, 2002.
• The Kohli Center on Intelligent Systems (KCIS) at IIIT Hyderabad was named after him in 2015.
• Lifetime Achievement Award from the All India Management Association (AIMA), 2017.

Personal Life

F. C. Kohli was married to Swarn Kohli. She was a lawyer and worked to protect consumer rights. They had three children together.

Mr. Kohli passed away on November 26, 2020, at the age of 96. He died from a heart attack.

Books

• Kohli, F. C. (2012) (in en). The IT Revolution in India. Rupa Publication India Pvt Ltd. ISBN 9798129108127. https://books.google.com/books?id=0H8K7_9MDLoC.