- Pioneer of Indian engineering who made “unthinkably achievable”, Sir M Visvesvaraya’s birthday is celebrated as Engineers Day in India
- His plans and competent method of building dams across India have prohibited colossal flooding till date
- He was awarded the highest Indian honor, the Bharat Ratna in 1955, wrote the book ‘Planned Economy for India’ which is considered a magnum opus in the field of economic development
India’s preeminence in producing excellent engineering minds has been taken in high esteem the world over. Indian engineers across domains have been part of the world’s greatest engineering marvels. One man kindled the fire over a century ago, a man who laid the foundation of modern India’s engineering legacy and excellence, a man who undoubtedly is the pioneering figure of Indian engineering.
Engineer’s Day is celebrated in India on 15 September every year to commemorate the birthday of this legendary figure Sir Visvesvaraya, fondly known as Sir MV or the Builder of India. Engineer’s Day 2020 marks the 159th birth anniversary of Sir Visvesvaraya. The engineering community across India, as well as Sri Lanka and Tanzania, celebrate this Engineer’s Day in his as a mark of respect to the most eminent Indian engineer M Visvesvaraya as well as to the engineering community at large for their remarkable endeavors.
On September 15, 1860, Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya was born in a Muddenahalli village, in Chikballapur Taluk, Kolar District. His parents were renowned Sanskrit academics. Sri Visvesvaraya lost his father early. He completed his formative learning in his hometown but later relocated to Bangalore for higher studies. After finishing his undergraduate degree in Arts, M Visvesvaraya changed paths and finished a degree in civil engineering from the College of Engineering in Pune.
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Shri Visvesvaraya achieved esteem after he planned a flood safety structure for Hyderabad. He played an imperative role in building a structure to safeguard Visakhapatnam port from sea disintegration. The dam generated the largest reservoir in Asia at the time it was built. He proceeded to become India’s most productive national engineer, dam builder, economic expert, statesman, and is still named among the previous century’s primary nation-builders. He was one of the engineers in the country who made the “unthinkable achievable”.
He was an Indian civil engineer, an academic, a statesman, and one of the greatest engineers in India. He was awarded the highest Indian honor, the Bharat Ratna in 1955. For his contributions to the public good, he was knighted as a Knight Commander of the British Indian Empire (KCIE) by King George V. He also served as the 19th Diwan of Mysore from 1912 to 1919. During his term as the Diwan of Mysore, Visvesvaraya revolutionized and remodeled the state into a “model state”, and gave him the status of “Father of Modern Mysore”.
The testament to his engineering proficiency and skills has been seen in water assets and building dams across India in a very competent method so much so, that his plans have prohibited colossal flooding till date. He had formulated and patented a structure of mechanical barrier water floodgates. The floodgates were constructed in 1903 at Khadakvasla Reservoir near Pune. These entrances were installed to increase the flood supply level of storage space in the reservoir to the maximum level possible to be achieved without triggering any destruction to the dam.
Recognized all over the globe for his involvement in harnessing water resources, Visvesvaraya was accountable for the construction and consolidation of dams across India. He was also credited with formulating the Block System – automatic gates that seal under the situation of a flood.
Sri Visvesvaraya received posthumous honors in several fields; Visvesvaraya Technological University in Belagavi was named in his honor, as well as important academic institutions like University Visvesvaraya school of Engineering, Bangalore, and Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology, Nagpur. Visvesvaraya National Memorial Trust manages a memorial for Visvesvaraya at his hometown of Muddenahalli. The memorial building is next to his house, which has been restored and regarded as a temple by locals. The memorial exhibits his awards, titles, and private belongings together with his living space, spectacles, cups, books and block with that his visiting cards.