Engineers of India celebrate September 15 as 'Engineers Day' in memory of a great Engineer. Yes, it is none
other than Sir Visvesvarayya, renowned engineer, scholar and statesman. The
nation recognized his contributions by awarding the prestigious title Bharatha Ratna. Campus Josh salutes this great personality on his
151st birthday for his great contribution in the construction process of new
India.
Sir Visvesvarayya was borne as Mokshagundam Visvesvarayya in
1861 at Muddenahalli-Kanivenarayanapura at Karnataka. He was
instrumental in the construction of Krishna Raja Sagara dam on the Kaveri River
near Mysore. His skills were used in the construction of several other dams in
the Bombay presidency. His brilliance, skill, honesty and dedication in
harnessing water resources along with other faculties were visible in those
dams. The fact that they are still functioning properly for the routine life of
current Maharashtra adds a great value to his abilities.
He was a notable statesman and served as the Dewan of Mysore
State during the period of 1912 to 1919 when Krishna Deva Raja iv was in
power. During the period of his reign as Dewan Sir MV designed and
materialized the all-round development of the Karnataka region. When, the construction of
K.R.Sagar dam, Brindavan Gardens, Bhadravati Iron and Steel Works, Mysore
Sandalwood Oil Factory etc presented him a golden crown , the foundation of
Bank of Mysore added a feather on his golden crown.
It's true that his contributions stand out,
but we also need to acknowledge that there are other engineers who have done several contributions for the
country. Then what makes the engineering community to observe
Engineer’s day on M.S.V's birthday? The answer is “his life was his message”. To
explain this, let’s have a quick visit on one of the incidents of his life
where we can see MV’s generosity and his commitment to the nation.
The incident was during the period of MV’s service in Mysore as a Dewan. Overseeing the commitment and efficiency of the Dewan, Maharaja's secretary recommended a salary hike to visvesvaraya . MV denied the proposal with an apology and contributed all his salary to establish Sri Jayachamaraja Polytechnic Institute of Bangalore.
It was a like a dream come true for him.- ie to start an institute where boys can
learn some profession." It is true that there are a lot of engineers who
have made better technological contributions for the nation, whereas there is
only one Visvesvarayya who could spend his entire salary for the future generations
of engineers.
Sir M Visvesvarayya was instrumental in the Making of Modern
Mysore. He worked towards the distribution of education to everyone
irrespective of class, creed or caste. His aim was to prepare people to abandon blind
beliefs. He envisioned a Mysore where science and technology bring
revolutionary changes. He always tried to emphasize that the term modern did
not require to give up our own culture. He made it clear that the country needs to
adopt science and technology without leaving the grand tradition and culture of
the nation. He was the incarnation of
discipline and hard work. He was never late by a minute and he never wasted a
minute. He was also a man of spotless honesty.
Visvesvaraya was a genius, once he said, "The curse of
our country is laziness. At first sight everyone seems to be working. But in
fact, one man works and the others watch him. As someone said with contempt,
'it looks as if five men are working but really, only one-man works. One man
will be doing nothing. One man will be resting. Another man will be watching
them. Yet another man will be helping these three." His judgment about
work was on the basis of the output produced. In 1955 Visvesvaraya was made a
'Bharata Ratna', the Gem of India for his unparalleled contributions.