The 15th of September in India, Sri Lanka, and Tanzania marks National Engineer’s Day – an annual celebration in honour of the seminal engineer, Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya. The day underscores the importance of engineers, their work, and the need to motivate continuous innovation. This differs from World Engineers’ Day, which is sponsored by UNESCO each year on March 4th.
About Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya
Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya was born in Karnataka in 1861. His educational journey saw him complete a Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Mysore, before studying civil engineering at the College of Science, Pune. An exceptional engineer, his genius laid in water resource management and the construction and consolidation of dams throughout India.
His expertise drew the attention of the Indian Government, who dispatched him to Aden, Yemen in 1906-07 to study their water supply and drainage systems. Following his studies, he designed and executed a project in Aden. Visvesvaraya also held positions as the Chief Engineer of Mysore State (1909) and Diwan of the princely state of Mysore (1912-1919), contributing greatly to the state’s comprehensive development.
For his public contributions, King George V knighted him as a Knight Commander of the British Indian Empire in 1915. Recognised for planning the Indian economy in 1934, he received an Honorary Membership from the London Institution of Civil Engineers, marking an unbroken 50-year relationship. In 1955, India bestowed its highest honour upon him – the Bharat Ratna. He passed away in 1962 in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
Furthermore, Visvesvaraya authored two books: ‘Reconstructing India’ and ‘Planned Economy of India’.
Major Contributions
Throughout his professional life, he was involved in numerous notable construction projects across Mysore, Hyderabad, Odisha, and Maharashtra. He was the chief engineer responsible for constructing the Krishna Raja Sagara Dam in Mysore, transforming barren lands into fertile ones suitable for farming.
In 1903, Visvesvaraya devised and patented an automatic weir floodgate system at Khadakwasla reservoir in Pune. After a catastrophic flood in Hyderabad in 1908, he developed a drainage system to protect the city from future floods.
He is also credited with designing the road system connecting Tirumala & Tirupati and initiated measures to safeguard Visakhapatnam port from sea erosion.
He commissioned numerous new railway lines in Mysore state. In 1895, he designed and executed the waterworks for Sukkur Municipality. His innovative Block System prevented wasteful water flow in dams.
Visvesvaraya’s contributions extended beyond construction; he was instrumental in founding the Mysore soap factory, Mysore Iron & Steel Works (Bhadravathi), Sri Jayachamarajendra Polytechnic Institute, Bangalore Agricultural University, and the State Bank of Mysore.
