Indian IT industry pioneer FC Kohli dead

Faqir Chand Kohli, who sowed the seeds of the USD 190-billion IT industry, has passed away on Thursday. He was 96.

The sector’s largest company TCS, of which he was the founding chief executive, announced the death of Kohli and said it was the insistence of JRD Tata that got Kohli to join the Tata Group, which now counts on its infotech arm for a bulk of resources.

Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran termed Kohli as a “true legend” who laid the foundation of what has been a “spectacular IT revolution” and set the stage for a dynamic modern economy that we enjoy today.

“Kohli was the true pioneer of Indian IT. We have all followed in his footsteps. His contribution to the IT industry and thus to India is immeasurable,” Wipro Chairman Azim Premji said in a statement.