Engineer’s
Day is celebrated in India on 15th September, in honour of Bharat Ratna Sri
Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya (Visveswaraiah), an outstanding Engineer. He was born
on 15th September 1860 and after his demise on 14th April 1962, his date of
birth is being observed as Engineer’s Day. Today is the 45th Engineer’s Day.
Every year many events take place on this day at Engineering Colleges and
National level organisations like ‘The Institute of Engineers’ to commemorate
the extraordinary service rendered by Sri Visvesvaraya and to felicitate
present day Engineers who are contributing in a great way and to discuss
current engineering achievements and challenges facing the country. The
observation of Engineer’s Day serves as a great inspiration to Engineers.
Sri
Mokshagundam Visveswaraiah was the most popular, prominent and great Engineer
of his times. He was born to a Telugu speaking Brahmin family of Srinivasa
Sastry and Venkatalakshmamma, at Muddenahalli village, 65 kms. from Bangalore.
After graduating from Madras University with a B.A. Degree, he studied Civil
Engineering at the famous College of Engineering Pune. After graduating as an
Engineer he joined the Public Works Department of Bombay. He later joined the
Indian Irrigation Commission and implemented an extraordinary irrigation system
in the Deccan area. He designed and patented a system of automatic Weir Water
Floodgates and installed it in 1903 at Khadakvasala Reservoir near Pune. With
the success of such a design, similar Floodgate system was installed at Tigara
Dam in Gwalior and KRS Dam near Mysore. He actually supervised the construction
of Krishna Raja Sagara (KRS) Dam across
River Cauvery from concept to inauguration. This was the biggest reservoir in
Asia at that time. For this and other contributions of his as Chief Engineer
and later Diwan of Mysore Government and for establishing - The Mysore Soap
Factory, The Parasitoide Laboratory, The Mysore Iron and Steel Works,
Government Engineering College – Bangalore, Sri Jayachamarajendra Polytechnic
Institute, Bangalore Agricultural University, The Century Club, Mysore Chambers
of Commerce and many other Industrial ventures, he was called ‘Father of Modern
Mysore State’. He is remembered in Andhra Pradesh for the design and
construction of the Ghat Road over Seven Hills between Tirupati and Lord
Venkateshwaraswamy’s Temple atop the hills at Tirumala and The Flood Protection
System for Hyderabad against the fury of River Musi and for the protection of
Visakhapatnam Port from Sea erosion.
Sir
Mokshagundam Visveswaraiah has received many Awards and Honours. For his
innumerable contributions, the British Government appointed him as Companion of
the Order of the Indian Empire (CIE) and later knighted him as Knight Commander
of the Order of the Indian Empire (KCIE). After India achieved independence, he
was awarded our nation’s highest honour, the Bharat Ratna. He was awarded
honorary Membership of London Institution of Civil Engineers for an unbroken 50
years and a fellowship of the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. He was
awarded several honorary and doctoral degrees like D.Sc., LL.D., D. Litt., from
eight Universities in India. And in honour of his memory, several educational
institutions, museums and a University are named after him.
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