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 Sir m visvesvaraya

Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya, a scholar, statesman, educationist and the most celebrated engineer in India, was born 158 years ago today in the village of Muddenahalli in the Kingdom of Mysore (now in Karnataka).

This day, every year since 1968, is celebrated as the Engineers Day in India, to recognise the contribution of engineers' in the development of the nation. Visvesvaraya was responsible for the construction of Krishna Raja Sagara Dam in Mysore. He was the chief engineer in the project. He was also the chief designer of the flood protection system of Hyderabad.

He also designed and patented the automatic weir floodgates, which were first installed at the Khadakwasla reservoir in Pune in 1903. He is believed to have transformed Mysore into the 'model state' of the India.

His achievements, especially for the flood protection system in Hyderabad, were recognised by the Indian government, and he was awarded a Bharta Ratna in 1955. He was also awarded the British Knighthood by Kind George V.

Visvesvaraya started studying at the Wesleyan Mission High School in 1875. Later he joined the Central College from where he graduated with distinction. He then moved to Pune to join the College of Science to study engineering, where he passed his engineering examination in 1883, standing first. He specialised in Civil Engineering.

Visvesvaraya took up a job with the Public Works Department (PWD) of Bombay (now Mumbai) and was later invited to join the Indian Irrigation Commission.

As part of his usual work in the Public Works Department he was engaged in road construction, maintenance of public buildings and laying out plans for city developments, in many important towns.

Visvesvaraya’s Contributions and Achievements

  • Visvesvaraya started worked in municipality of Sukkur after completing his Bachelor's degree.
  • There he developed a new system of irrigation- the Block System under which each area was divided under blocks and water was supplied to them according to the needs and type of the soil and had it patented.
  • This solved the problem of the water crisis in the town Sukkur near the Indus River along with many other areas
  • He also found the solution to the clogging of rivers and dams by putting steel doors to stop the flow of waste.
  • In the year 1906, the Government of India sent Visvesvaraya to study water supply and drainage system at Aden.
  • In 1909, he was appointed as Chief Engineer of Mysore state.
  • In 1912, he became the Diwan of Mysore state and began to be called the Father of Modern Mysore State on account of his extensive work towards the upliftment of the state.
  • He played a big role in laying the foundation stone of the Government Engineering College at Bangalore in 1917, one of the first engineering institutes in India. This institution was later named the University Visvesvaraya College of Engineering (UVCE)
  • In 1924 he served as Chief Engineer as the designer of one of the biggest dams in India, the Krishnarajasagara dam.
  • In 1915, he was knighted as a Commander of the Indian Empire by King George V for his immense contribution to public welfare.
  • In 1955 he was presented with India’s greatest honor ‘Bharat Ratna’ and after that with several honorary doctorates from eight Indian Universities.
  • He also established The Visvesvaraya Iron and Steel Plant Limited (VISL) in Mysore.
  • The railway line from Bangalore to Mysore was also started by him.
  • “Reconstructing India” and “Planned Economy of India”, two of his most important works were published in 1920 and 1934, respectively.
Awarded

Visvesvaraya established Government Engineering College in 1917 in Bengaluru which was later named University Visvesvaraya College of Engineering in his honour.

Due to his outstanding contribution to the building of India, the government conferred 'Bharat Ratna' on on him in 1955. He was also awarded the British knighthood by King George V, which put the honorific 'sir' before his name.
                                        
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