|
2006; IIT Bombay in 2004; Kolkata's Jadavpur University
in 2004 and the University of Roorkee, in 2000.
A visionary and pioneer by nature, Dr F C Kohli is acknowledged
as the 'father of the Indian software industry'.
Kohli propagated computerisation in India at a time when
its potential in bringing the benefits of IT to India's rural
masses, computer-based adult literacy programme or IT as an
instrument of national development had not been realised.
He has been working on advancing engineering education at
undergraduate levels to world standards to create a large
pool of students to take up graduate studies and research.
With IIT Bombay and Ministry of Information Technology, Kohli
initiated a project to graduate 3,000 microelectronic engineers
at the masters level. His vision of extending IT use in all
spheres of activity within the country has today taken shape
in terms of affordable computers and open-source software
in Indian languages.
Kohli is a fellow of IEEE USA, IEE UK, Institution of Engineers
India, Computer Society of India and is the recipient of several
awards including the prestigious Dadabhai Naoroji Memorial Award
in 2001 and the Padma Bhusan in the year 2002.
Starting his career with the Canadian General Electric Company,
he then worked with Ebasco International Corporation, the New
York Connecticut Valley Power Exchange, and New England Power
System, Boston, where he trained in Power System Operation Planning.
Kohli returned to India in early August 1951, and joined
Tata Electric Companies (now Tata Power Company) and helped
to set up the 'load despatching system' to manage the system
operations. In 1967 he became deputy general manager of Tata
Electric Companies. He introduced advanced engineering and
management techniques for the operation of power systems and
was responsible for significant use of digital computers for
power system design and control, using the CDC 3600 mainframe
computer at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research.
During this period he simultaneously worked as consultant
to Tata Consulting Engineers.
Kohli became director of Tata Electric Companies in 1970.
In 1968, Tata Electric Companies became one of the five power
utilities in the world to install digital controls to regulate
operations of the entire grid of Tata Electric Companies,
which comprised three hydro stations, thermal units and energy
supply from Tarapore Atomic Energy and Koyna Hydroelectric
of Maharashtra State Electricity Board.
This was a significant achievement for India as there were
only four other utilities in the US that had opted for digital
controls. UK, Germany, France and Japan at that point in time
were using analogue controls.
In September 1969, he moved to Tata Consultancy Services
as general manager and became director-in-charge in 1974 and
deputy chairman in 1994.
|
