Engineer’s Day 2018: The Bharat Ratna awardee, Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya was born on September 15, 1861 in a village called Muddenahalli in Karnataka
Engineer’s Day 2018: Every year, the country celebrates September 15 as National Engineer’s Day to appreciate the contributions of Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya. The Bharat Ratna awardee, Visvesvaraya was born on September 15, 1861 in a village called Muddenahalli in Karnataka. He studdied Bachelor of Arts (BA) from the University of Madras and pursued civil engineering at the College of Science in Pune.
Who is Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya?
Born on September 15, 1861 in the Muddenahalli village, Karnataka, M Visvesvaraya completed his bachelor of arts (BA) from the University of Madras and pursued civil engineering at College of Science in Pune. While serving as the Diwan of Mysore, he was awarded ‘Knight’ in 1915 as a commander of the British Indian empire by King George V. He received the Bharat Ratna in 1955, became a member of the London Institution of Civil Engineers before he was awarded a fellowship by the Indian Institute of Science (IISC) Bangalore.
What were Visvesvaraya’s contributions?
Known for his contributions in the field of engineering, Visvesvaraya installed an irrigation system with water floodgates at the Khadakvasla reservoir near Pune to raise the food supply level and storage to the highest levels. This was also installed at Gwalior’s Tigra Dam and Mysuru’s Krishnaraja Sagara (KRS) dam, the latter of which created one of the largest reservoirs in Asia at the time.
Awards for Visvesvaraya
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In 1915, King George V knighted the scholar as a commander of the British Indian Empire. After India gained independence, he was awarded the Bharat Ratna in 1955 and later a fellowship from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore. He even became a member of the London Institution of Civil Engineers and had numerous universities, including Visvesvaraya Technological University in Belagavi, named after him.
When is it celebrated around the world?
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Engineer’s Day is celebrated in nations across the world. Russia celebrates engineers on December 22, Argentina on June 16, Bangladesh on May 7, Brazil on December 11, Columbia on August 17, Chile on May 14, Mexico on July 1 and Italy on June 15.
The eminent engineer, Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya breathed his last in 1962, leaving the world with his beneficial contributions. His memorial stands at Muddenahalli, which is managed by the Visvesvaraya National Memorial Trust as his name lives on through various universities including Visvesvaraya Technological University in Belagavi.