New Delhi, March 14 -- The Wikipedia entry for Faqir Chand Kohli classifies him as a co-founder of Tata Consultancy Services Ltd (TCS), an unusual and rare honour for a professional executive, even in a group that has always valued the contributions of such leaders. Russi Mody, Sumant Moolgaonkar, and Darbari Seth-the famed satraps of the 1980s-were able stewards of businesses built by the Tata family. Kohli built an entirely new industry.

Born on 19 March 1924 in Peshawar, Kohli was a gold medallist at Government College for Men in Lahore. When his father died in his final year, he applied to join the Indian Navy and was selected, but while waiting to be commissioned, a notice for a scholarship to Queen's University in Canada caught his...