– Apurva Jakhadi
NASA-Space Educator,
Past Secretary, The Institution of Engineers, Nashik Local Chapter
It is to honour the achievements and contribution of India’s pre-eminent engineer and statesman Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya, that our country celebrates Engineers’ Day on his birthday, that falls on 15 September, today. He had a flair for complex engineering problems and nation building; hence this significant day is observed and celebrated nationwide.
Born in a poor family in Muddenahalli of Karnataka (erstwhile Mysore State) on 15th September 1860, Sir M.Visvesvaraya (fondly called Sir M.V.) went to Bangalore for higher education.
After graduation, he went on to become one of the greatest engineers and statesman India had ever produced. His contribution was not just in engineering infrastructure projects (like dams & bridges) but he has also been instrumental in setting up of several industries and sectors including iron & steel, soaps, silk, sugar, banking; which later inspired automobile, aeronautics and astronautics.
The facts we need to know about Sir MV:
1. After topping the Poona College of Engineering he was directly (without any interview) recruited by Government of Bombay and appointed as Assistant Engineer in Public Works Department.
2. He created automatic sluice gates which was later reused for Tigra Dam (in Madhya Pradesh) and Krishnarajasagar dam-KRS Dam (in Karnataka) as well. For this patent design he was supposed to get a recurring income in the form of royalty but he refused it so that the government could use this money for more developmental projects.
3. Between 1895 and 1905, he worked in different parts of India:
In Hyderabad, he improved the drainage system.
In Bombay, he introduced block system of irrigation and water weir flood gates.
In Bihar and Orissa, he was a part of the building railway bridges project and water supply schemes.
In Mysore, he supervised the construction of Krishnarajasagar dam –
KRS dam, the then Asia’s biggest dam.
4. He was offered Dewanship (Prime Minister position) of Mysore in 1908 and given full responsibility of all the development projects. Under his Dewanship Mysore saw major transformation in the realms of Avgriculture, Irrigation, Industrialization, Education, Banking and Commerce.
5. He was conferred with India’s highest civilian award, Bharat Ratna in 1955 for his contribution towards engineering.
He was not only praised by the Indian government but also received honorary awards and memberships from all over the world.
His achievements are many, but to highlight a few of his personal qualities & habits, which we can try to imbibe into our own lives and inspire future generations. honesty & work ethics, discipline, free from ego, dedication & excellence.
To commemorate the birthday of Bharat Ratna Sir M Visvesvaraya, the Council of ‘The Institution of Engineers (I) – IEI’, decided to observe September 15 as the Engineers’ Day every year.
This is celebrated throughout the country through all the Centres of the Institution with learned discourses on a theme specified by the Council every year.
Engineers play a great role in the advancement and economic growth of any company and thus it doesn’t matter how they celebrate the annual day, what is important that they must rejoice the annual function to keep motivated themselves and continue with the great work they do for general public.
Among all the developing countries, India is one of the prime exporters of light and heavy engineering goods. India produces a wide range of items. The bulk of capital goods required for mining equipment, steel & petrochemical plants, cement, fertilizer, power projects are made in India.
The engineers of India are also involved in making equipment for irrigation projects, construction machinery, cotton textile & sugar mill machinery, diesel engines, transport vehicles, tractors, etc. Thus, the role of Engineers in a developing India is not only diverse, but it is also very significant.
Conclusion :
Engineers have been the most instrumental characters for the development of any nation. India is achieving great recognition as a developing nation in the international world and this has been possible due to the significant role of Indian Engineers.
Sir MV was one such engineer who changed the face of irrigation system, water resource system and several other things. Needless to mention, he is still the great inspiration for everyone.
Almost every engineer wants to follow his footprints and contribute to the development of India. In order to remember his significant contributions, people of India celebrate engineers’ day on his birthday i.e. September 15th every year.
My comments:
Sir M.Visvesvaraya did his work with passion & dedication and always gave his best. One of his popular quotes were :
“Remember, your work may be only to sweep a railway crossing, but it is your duty to keep it so clean that no other crossing in the world is as clean as yours”
An engineer is not only someone who has the knowledge of design and execution, but also stands by ethics, dedication & excellence, and Sir MV is the epitome of these values.
Today being the birth anniversary of Sir MV, India celebrates “Engineers Day” in his memory to inspire engineers across the country and to follow his footsteps in nation-building.