Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya, or Sir M Visvesvaraya, was an eminent personality of Karnataka. He was a noteworthy civil engineer, the Dewan of Mysore, a statesman, and an able administrator. Thus, he not only donned many different roles but also excelled in them.
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Life of Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya
Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya was born on September 15th, 1861, in Muddenahalli, Chikkaballapur district, the then Kingdom of Mysore, during British Rule. Sir M. Visvesvaraya was born to Mokshagundam Srinivasa Sastry and Venkatalakshmi. Belonging to a Telugu-speaking community from Mokshagundam, Andhra Pradesh, Visvesvaraya’s ancestors had migrated to Mysore long before his birth.
Education and Career
Visvesvaraya received his primary education in Bangalore and his Bachelor’s degree in science from the University of Madras. He also earned a diploma in civil engineering (DCE) from the College of Engineering in Pune.
Visvesvaraya started his career working for the British government in the Bombay Presidency and the British colonies in the Middle East. He later worked for the Hyderabad state. In around 1906/1907, the British government in India sent Visvesvaraya to Aden, a British colony (present-day Yemen), to further equip himself to study water supply and drainage systems. Consequently, his project was successfully implemented in Aden.
Post-retirement accomplishments
Sir M. Visvesvaraya went for voluntary retirement in 1908, after which he embarked on a foreign tour to study industrialised nations. Later, he worked for Nizam Osman Ali Khan for a brief period. Post-retirement, he embarked on a career as an administrator and statesman and carried on his work as an engineer in the Kingdom of Mysore.
Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya also served as the Dewan of Mysore from 1912 to 1918. His love for the Kannada language made him set up Kannada Parishat to improve the language.
In 1955, the Indian Government gave Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya the Bharat Ratna Award in his later years. Prime Minister Nehru graced the celebration of Sir.M.V’s centenary in Lalbagh, Bangalore, to honour one of the greatest sons of India. Sri Jayachamaraja Wodiyar presided over the function.
As a person
Sir M. Visvesvaraya was a man of sincerity, integrity, and professionalism. He was also a vegetarian, a teetotaller, and always impeccably dressed. He was a stickler for punctuality and a strict disciplinarian.
Sir M.V memorial and museum
Sir. M. Visvesvaraya lived to the ripe age of 102 and breathed his last on 12/14th April 1962 after having lived a well-accomplished life. A memorial has been constructed for Visvesvaraya at his birthplace, Muddenahalli, adjacent to his house. His home, now turned into a museum, displays his awards, medals, titles, and models of the KRS Dam, which he designed and supervised the construction of, his personal belongings, etc.
Mahatma Gandhi on Sir M.Visvesvaraya
To quote Mahatma Gandhi’s words on Sir.M.Visvesvaraya, “Bhadravathi (Iron Works), like Krishnarajasagar Dam, is a tribute to the patriotism and constructive genius of Visvesvaraya, who has placed his talents, knowledge and industry and all his time and energy at the service of Mysore. One thing that strikes us most here is that the whole undertaking is from top to bottom a self-contained one. The originator is a Mysorean, at any rate, entirely South Indian. That is a thing about which you and India may well be proud.”
Achievements of Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya
As an engineer
Sir M.Visvesvaraya made remarkable contributions to the field of civil engineering. The projects done by Visvesvaraya include
- One of the significant contributions of Mokshagundam Visvesaraya as an engineer and designer was the building of the Krishna Raja Sagar Dam (KRS Dam) in Mysore during the time of the erstwhile King Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV. Sir M. Visvesvaraya played an essential role in planning and replanning the KRS Dam, negotiating the fine print, sanctioning the project and finally building the dam. The KRS dam happens to be one of the significant landmarks in Mysore, dating back to the 1930s. It is 130 feet high, and besides being a major tourist attraction, it is also the source of irrigation and drinking water for large parts of Karnataka.
- He devised an intricate irrigation system in the Deccan Plateau with automatic weir water floodgates, first installed at the Khadakvasla Dam near Pune in 1903. Owing to the successful implementation and usage of these gates, which increased the reservoir’s storage level, the same was implemented at the Tigra Dam, Gwalior, and at the KRS Dam, Mysore. He also later took charge as the chief engineer of the Laxmi Talav Dam near Kolhapur.
- Introduced a novel irrigation system called the “Block System”.
- Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya also played a prominent role in Hyderabad’s flood protection system as one of the chief engineers.
- He was also instrumental in developing a system to safeguard the Visakhapatnam Port from sea erosion.
- In November 1909, Visvesvaraya joined as a chief engineer of Mysore State. He was the Chief Engineer of the KRS Dam at Mysore.
- Later, he also served as chairman of the board of engineers for the Tungabhadra Dam in Hospet, Karnataka.
Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya as the Dewan of Mysore
In 1912, Maharaja Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV of Mysore appointed Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya as the Dewan of Mysore. With the Maharaja’s aid, he contributed remarkably to the development of the Kingdom of Mysore and founded many factories and institutions.
- Mysore Soap Factory
- Parasitoid Laboratory
- Mysore Iron & Steel Works in Bhadravathi
- Bangalore Polytechnic (now Sri Jayachamarajendra Polytechnic Bangalore),
- Bangalore Agricultural University
- State Bank of Mysore
- Century Club
- Mysore Chamber of Commerce (now Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce & Industry)
- Mysore Apex Chamber of Commerce (now Apex Chamber of Karnataka)
- The Bangalore Press
- Government Engineering College (now University Visvesvaraya College of Engineering) at Bangalore in 1917 was one of the foremost engineering colleges in India.
- New railway lines in Mysore Railways (now part of Southwestern Indian Railways)
- Mysore University. He questioned, “If Australia and Canada could have universities of their own for less than a million people, cannot Mysore, with a population of not less than 60 lakhs, have a University of its own?”
- Public libraries in Mysore and Bangalore
- He encouraged girls to attend school.
- He encouraged private investment in the industry.
- Sir. M.V. chalked out a plan for constructing the road between Tirumala and Tirupati.
- Visvesvaraya, who was over 90 years old, extended technical advice on the location of the Mokama Bridge over the Ganga in Bihar.
A few offices held by Sir M.Visvesvaraya
- Assistant Engineer, Bombay Government Service [in 1884]
- Chief Engineer, Hyderabad State [he served only for 7 months starting April 15, 1909]
- Chief Engineer in Mysore State [Nov 15, 1909]. He was also Secretary to the Railways.
- President of Education and Industrial Development committees in Mysore State
- Dewan of Mysore. [for six years starting 1912]
- Chairman, Bhadravati Iron Works
- Member of the Governing Council of the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore
- Member of the Governing Council of Tata Iron and Steel Company [TISCO]
- Member of Back Bay enquiry committee, London
- Member of a committee constituted in 1917 to make recommendations regarding the future of Indian States.
Some of the honours and laurels conferred on Sir M.V.
| Year | Award |
|---|---|
| 1904 | Honorary Membership of London Institution of Civil Engineers for an unbroken period of 50 years |
| 1906 | “Kaisar-i-Hind” in recognition of his services |
| 1911 | C.I.E. (Companion of the Indian Empire) at the Delhi Darbar |
| 1915 | K.C.I.E. (Knight Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire) |
| 1921 | D.Sc. – Calcutta University |
| 1931 | LLD – Bombay University |
| 1937 | D.Litt – Benaras Hindu University (BHU) |
| 1943 | Elected as an Honorary Life Member of the Institution of Engineers (India) |
| 1944 | D.Sc. – Allahabad University |
| 1948 | Doctorate – LLD., Mysore University |
| 1953 | D.Litt – Andhra University |
| 1953 | Awarded the Honorary Fellowship of the Institute of Town Planners, India |
| 1955 | Conferred ‘Bharat Ratna‘ (The gem of India), the highest distinction of the country |
| 1958 | D.Sc. Jadhavpur University Calcutta |
| 1958 | ‘Durga Prasad Khaitan Memorial Gold Medal’ by the Royal Asiatic Society Council of Bengal |
| 1959 | Fellowship of the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore |
Recognition for Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya
Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya earned the title of ‘Father of Engineering’ in India with his remarkable service. Furthermore, September 15th each year is observed as ‘Engineer’s Day’ not only in India but also in Sri Lanka and Tanzania in honour of Sir. M. Visvesvaraya. He earned many recognitions for his noteworthy service in engineering and education.
Listed below are the educational institutions, metro stations, railway terminals, etc are named after him.
- Visvesvaraya Technological University in Belagavi
- University Visvesvaraya College of Engineering, Bangalore
- Sir M. Visvesvaraya Institute of Technology, Bangalore
- Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology, Nagpur
- Visvesvaraya Hostel, IIT (BHU) Varanasi
- Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum, Bangalore
- A statue of Sir.M.Visvesvaraya stands tall in the College of Engineering, Pune, his alma mater.
- Two metro stations, namely Sir M. Visveshwaraya Station, Central College, on the Purple Line in Bangalore and Sir Vishweshwaraiah Moti Bagh on the Pink Line in Delhi, are named after him.
- The Baiyyapanahalli railway terminal at Bangalore also gets its name after Sir. MV.
- Because of his 100th birthday, the Indian Government issued a postage stamp of Visvesvaraya in 1960.
- For its turn, Google honoured Visvesvaraya with a Google Doodle on September 15th, 2018, on his 157th birth anniversary.
Books Authored & Contributed By Sir MV
Sir M.Visvesvaraya has also authored many books. Here is the list of the books he wrote
- Planned Economy for India, 1861-1962, Bangalore, Bangalore Press, 1934
- Memoirs of my Working Life, Bangalore (1954)
- Unemployment in India: Its causes and cure, Bangalore City, Bangalore Press, 1932
- Prosperity through Industry Move towards rapid industrialization (Second edition), Bombay, All-India Manufacturer’s Organization, 1943
- Post-War Reconstruction in India (Address at the quarterly meeting of the Central Committee, September 2, 1943), All-India Manufacturer’s Organization
- Nation building: a five-year plan for the provinces, Bangalore City, Bangalore Press, 1937
- District development scheme: Economic progress by forced marches, Bangalore, 1940
- A Brief Memoir of my Complete Working Life, Bangalore, 1960
To conclude, much must be imbibed from the exemplary life led by the accomplished Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya.
Also Read
- In Kannada: ಅತ್ಯುತ್ತಮ ಮುತ್ಸದ್ದಿ – ಅಪ್ರತಿಮ ಅಭಿಯಂತರ ಸರ್ ಎಂ ವಿಶ್ವೇಶ್ವರಯ್ಯ
- Nugu Dam, Heggadadevana Kote, Mysore
- KRS Dam / Brindavan Gardens, Mysore
- Other Personalities from Karnataka
- Sri. M Visvesvaraya Dam – A 101 Year-Old Dam
- Hulikere Tunnel – Central Asia’s First Underground Irrigation Tunnel
- A must read article about Sir MV
- Paul Chinnappa – The Link Between India And The Montessori School System