Engineers' Day : September 15
Sir M.
Visvesvaraya
Mokshagundam
Visvesvaraya,
popularly known as Sir M.V., was born in the year September 15, 1860. At 23, he ranked first
in the engineering examination in Mumbai and he started his career as an
Assistant Engineer at Mumbai, Public Works Department. An able statesman and
engineer, gradually he rose to become the Dewan of Mysore, to carve for himself
a pride of place in the history of modern Mysore. He was a liberal statesman and
visionary. Sir M. Visvesvaraya lived up to 100
years to see the fruitful realisation of his schemes and projects, which brought
bounty and prosperity to the State and the country. Not only in Mysore, he
occupied high positions elsewhere and wherever he served he left a stamp of his
ingenuity in engineering and administrative matters. His ingenuity and foresight
led to building an industrial India with numerous irrigation, electricity,
railway and industrial projects. In Karnataka, he had the Krishnarajasagar Dam
built across the River Cauvery, 1.75 miles long and 134 feet high to use water
for irrigation and power.
A man who never compromised on his principles, Sir M.V.
was a great believer in democratic institutions. The Mysore Legislative Council
came to be expanded during his time in 1913. The Council was given power to
discuss the budget. The legislations enunciated by him provided an elected
majority to the local self-government bodies.
A number of projects and industries were implemented by
him during his Dewanship. The Krishnarajasagar dam, he built across the river
Cauvery, near Mysore, was the country's first multi-purpose project, providing
water for irrigation and electricty. The Bhadravati Iron and Steel Works, now
named after the great engineer, the Government Sandalwood Oil Factory in Mysore,
the Government Soap Factory, manufacturing the best of sandal oil soaps, are
some of his major industrial gifts to the State. He founded the Mysore
University, the Kannada Sahitya Parishat, the Mysore Chamber of Commerce and
Industries the Chamarajendra Technical Institute, and the State Bank of Mysore.
