Engineers day - In memory of a great Engineer

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.