“Mr Cyrus Mistry’s comments regarding the sale of TCS to IBM at some “unspecified point in time” are not correct. I was actively involved in the decision to bring IBM to India. A JV for hardware manufacturing and support in India, Tata IBM, was set up in 1991-92. This JV was undertaken to promote a computer hardware industry in India which was non-existent at that time.

I would like to reiterate that at no point at that time was there ever an intention of the Tata group to sell TCS to IBM.

With reference to the timeline of the entire episode I would also like to point out that my “heart by-pass surgery” took place in 1984. Mr JRD Tata was interested in my health and progress after the surgery and he established contact with my surgeon at Houston. He also wanted to know when I would be well enough to return to India. He wanted to discuss Burroughs proposal for software work in India under Tata Burroughs, which might affect TCS’ business.”

About FC Kohli

FC Kohli joined Tata Electric Companies in 1951 and helped to set up the load despatching system to manage the system operations. He became director of Tata Electric Companies in 1970. He was the first CEO of TCS which pioneered India’s IT Revolution and helped the country to build the $100 billion+ IT Industry.

Be it the propagation of computerisation in India at a time when no one realized its potential, or bringing the benefits of IT, Mr Kohli saw IT as an instrument of national development. A visionary and pioneer by nature, is acknowledged as the ‘Father of the Indian Software Industry’.