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Updated September 15th, 2020 at 11:32 IST

Engineers' Day 2020: Remembering Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya

Every year on September 15, India celebrates Engineers' Day to mark the birth anniversary of India's finest engineer Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya.

Reported by: Gargi Rohatgi
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Every year on September 15, India celebrates Engineers' Day to mark the birth anniversary of India's finest engineer M Visvesvaraya. Born in Muddenahalli, Karnataka, the Bharat Ratna awardee dedicated his entire life of nearly 102 years in the service to the nation. Dewan of Mysore was known to be a person of impeccable honesty, integrity, and high character who played a significant role in many engineering projects. 

Engineers' Day 2020 marks the 160th birth anniversary of the scholar who was known for his ideas, vision, and thinking. When Sir MV was offered the position of Dewan of Mysore State, he called his entire family and asked them to promise that none of them will ask for any favours once he becomes Dewan. Only when all his relatives agreed to this he then accepted the position. The son of Karnataka is an inspiration for current and future generations. M. Visvesvaraya played an important role in the construction of the famous Krishna Raja Sagara Dam in Mysore.  

Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar, who appointed him Dewan of Mysore said, “Sir MV is a combination of endeavour, adventure, courage, intellect, capacity and strength and thereby enjoys God's grace."

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Remembering Visvesvaraya on Engineers' Day 

Besides being an eminent engineer, Visvesvaraya is also known as the builder of modern India, visionary, scholar, planner and statesman. He spent his entire life working relentlessly, giving speeches on varied subjects and writing books. Endowed with qualities of courage, patience and forethought, Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya was a man of few words and he believed in 'Talk less, work more'. His grandnephew Satish Mokshagundam, Chairman of Visvesvaraya National memorial Trust says that never in his life he undertook any decision without planning. 

Jawaharlal Nehru on Visvesvaraya's centenary in 1960 said,  “Dreamer, thinker, and a man of action, not lost in the past but always thinking of the future, living an integrated life, bringing into existence and giving shape to dreams not for himself but for India and the people of India”. 

READ | Engineers' Day: PM Modi And Others Pays Tribute To M Visvesvaraya

M. Visvesvaraya was born on September 15, 1860, in Munddenahalli, near Bangaluru. He lost his father at the young of 12 after which all the family burden fell on his mother's shoulders. M. Visvesvaraya then decided that he has to give his best and there is a surrogate for hard work. He completed his schooling in Chikkaballapur, high school and college from Bengaluru, and studied engineering from Pune.

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The legendary national builder had a strong faith over industrialisation and he preached ‘Industrialise or Perish' which was complete, in contrast, Mahatma Gandhi's philosophy of ‘Industrialise and Perish’. He wrote two famous books on planning in India- 'Reconstructing India' in 1920 and 'Planned Economy for India' in the 1930s. Visvesvaraya was known to practice what he preached and for his ready wit. Around his 100th birthday, when he was asked about his longevity, he said, “Death called on me long ago but found me not at home and went away.” But, on April 12, 1962, Sir MV quietly bid goodbye to the world. 

READ | India Acknowledges Ford's First Female Engineer On Engineer's Day

 

 

 

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Published September 15th, 2020 at 11:32 IST

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