An engineer with foresight (1860-1962)
Sir M.Visvesvaraya once 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.’”
Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya, born on 15 September 1860, into a Telugu speaking family in Chickkaballapur District, Mysore State, sadly lost his father, a prominent Sanskrit scholar, when he was just 12. With the family plunged into poverty, Visvesvaraya financed his education through tuitions.
With a Bachelor of Arts from Central College, Bangalore, in 1881, he went on to do civil engineering at the prestigious College of Engineering, Pune.
After a stint with the Public Works Department (PWD), Bombay, he joined the Indian Irrigation Commission, where he implemented an extremely complex irrigation system in the Deccan, and also designed and patented a system of automatic dyke water floodgates that were first installed in 1903 at the Khadakvasla Reservoir, near Pune.
After opting for voluntary retirement in 1908, he worked for the Nizam of Hyderabad. Celebrity status arrived when he designed a flood protection system for Hyderabad city, under constant flood threat by the Musi River. He also developed a system to protect Visakhapatnam Port from sea erosion, and supervised the Krishna Raja Sagara Dam construction across the Kaveri River, the biggest reservoir in Asia.
In November 1909, Visvesvaraya was appointed as Chief Engineer of Mysore State and in 1912, he became the Diwan of the princely state of Mysore, a post he held for seven years. With the active support of Wodeyar IV, Maharaja of Mysore, he made good contribution to the all-round development of Mysore state. He founded many institutions and industrial ventures, and also commissioned several new railway lines. He was given the honorific title of the ‘Father of modern Mysore State’.
Visvesvaraya was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire (CIE) in 1911. In 1915, while still the Diwan; he was knighted as a Knight Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire (KCIE) by the British for his myriad contributions. After Independence, the Bharat Ratna, was conferred on him in 1955.
The Engineering Community across India incidentally celebrates ‘Engineers Day’ on 15 September every year, as a remarkable tribute to this greatest Indian Engineer. He had the courage of his convictions. Far-sighted, he wanted education to spread, people to give up blind beliefs and make the fullest use of science and technology. Modest, even at the age of 95, he rose to receive and send off visitors. He had self-respect without arrogance. He was a very honest person who valued cleanliness, and was impeccably dressed even when he was well into his 90’s.
He had to face constant opposition in plan implementation from the Madras Presidency, criticism from leading Madras newspapers, as also jealousy and opposition from a few high ranking officers in the Mysore administration.
Known for sincerity, time management and dedication to a cause, his memory was amazing. “A man should do any work he undertakes methodically”, was his firm faith. He didn’t favour relatives or friends, carried his resignation letter in his pocket as he was principled, and used his own car and stationery for private work. This great Indian engineer died on 14 April 1962, at the ripe old age of 102 years. The Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum, Bangalore, is a sterling tribute in his honour.
He once said: “Remember, your work may be only to sweep a railway crossing, but it is your duty to keep it so clean that no other crossing in the world is as clean as yours.”