“Science is about knowing; engineering is about doing”. – Henry Petroski, American engineer
Engineer’s Day is observed on September 15 in India to commemorate the birth anniversary of one of India’s greatest engineer’s Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya (Sir MV).
Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya was also famously called as Sir MV, referred by his initials, MV. Sir MV was born in Muddenahalli village in Karnataka’s Kolar district .He was the first Indian civil engineer , statesman and the 19th Diwan of Mysore serving from 1912 to 1918.He was also India’s most prolific civil engineer, dam builder, economist, statesman, and nation-builder.
In his memory his birthday, 15th September, is celebrated and observed as Engineer’s Day in not just India but also in Sri Lanka and Tanzania to honour the achievements and contributions of the most influential engineer .
He was the Chief Engineer of Krishna Raja Sagara dam in the north-west suburb of Mysuru City, Laxmi Talav Dam near Kolhapur in south-west Maharashtra.
He also served as one of the Chief Engineers of the flood protection system for Hyderabad city . In the year 1955 ,the Government of India conferred “Bharat Ratna” for his outstanding contribution to the society.
He was known as the father of Modern Mysore for his outstanding contribution to society.
Biography of Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya and his contributions
Visvesvaraya was born in 1861 Muddenahalli of Mysore Kingdom (present-day Chikkaballapurdistrict of Karnataka). He studied and graduated as an engineer at the College of Engineering Pune (the then college of science) .
He ranked first in the L.C.E. and the F.C.E. Examinations in 1883.He was offered the job of an Assistant Engineer at Nasik by the Government of Bombay. With his caliber and intelligence he successfully implemented various projects.
With a humble personality Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya was known for his simplicity also.
He took voluntary retirement in 1908, after which he took a foreign tour to study industrialized nations. Later he also worked for the Nizam of Hyderabad for a short span of time.Visvesvaraya was appointed Chief Engineer of Mysore State in November 1909 . Further, in 1912, he was appointed as Diwan (second minister) of Mysore with a service of seven years.
Under his service with the government of India , Visvesvaraya was responsible for founding several new industries including Mysore soap factory, Parasitoid Laboratory, Mysore Iron & Steel Works (later known as Visvesvaraya Iron & Steel Limited) in Bhadravathi,Sri Jayachamarajendra Polytechnic Bangalore, Bangalore Agricultural University, the State Bank of Mysore , Century Club, Mysore Chamber of Commerce (Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce & Industry), the Apex Chamber of Commerce in Karnataka.
During his entire career , he rendered his service as an engineer for 30 years , 20 years as an administrator, and 20 years as an advisor and statesman.
Visvesvaraya was also the man behind invention the Block System where in cases of overflow of water, the automated doors close. The floodgates designed and patented by him were first installed at the Khadakwasla reservoir in Pune in 1903.
In 1911, Visvesvaraya was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire (CIE).Because of his public welfare Contributions he was knighted by the British as a Knight Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire (KCIE) during his tenure as the Diwan of Mysore in 1915. In 1955, he was awarded the nation’s highest honour, the Bharat Ratna, ,he was also awarded an honorary membership of London Institution of Civil Engineers , a fellowship from the Indian Institute of Science (Bangalore) , and several honorary degrees including D.Sc, LL.D , D.Litt from eight universities in India. And a Newspaper “Prajavani” termed him to be the most popular person in Karnataka.
