Sir MV, One of the greatest statesman of his times - A Tribute

15th of September is an important day for any Civil Engineer, since it symbolizes the great personality Bharath Rathna Sir. M. Visvesvaraya, an embodiment of discipline, hard work and integrity A role model for any Indian Engineer.

It is rightly said that - 'he was one of the greatest statesman of his times',  one of the greatest economist of his times,  'one of the greatest engineer of his times' and above all an ardent ‘patriot’. In essence, he was a multifaceted personality.

His contributions for the welfare of the nation have been significant. It was not restricted to the fields of Irrigation or Public Health Engineering, but spread over to other areas such as 'Urban Planning', 'General manufacturing sector', 'Automobile sector' and many other related ones. His pioneering works in the 'Construction of K R Sagar', 'Flood protection works in Hyderabad', 'Water supply schemes in western and southern India', 'Development of automatic flood gates' and may others stand out as monumental works.

Other than Civil Engineering projects, his main focus was on 'steel manufacturing'.

He built one of the best units in 'old Mysore State' towards this. Thanks to his vision, vast knowledge and capability to carry people with him. The further follow ups were the establishment of ‘Hindustan Aeronautics’ in Bangalore and 'Premiere Automobile unit' in Mumbai.

There are quite a few accomplishments of Sir. M. Visvesvaraya worth noticing by young engineers. One of them is concerning the bridge at Mokameh. When a bridge was planned across Ganga in Bihar, differences arose about the location amongst the beneficiary states of Bihar, Assam and West Bengal. Government of India decided to take the advice of Sir. M. Visvesvaraya, who was 92 years at that time. He worked like an young man at that age, touring the entire stretch from Patna to Farakka and discussing the pros and cons of various locations with the various stakeholders. Finally he endorsed the location of Mokameh. His sincerity and comprehensive approach at that age was widely appreciated. On similar lines, his sincere efforts in Orissa during Mahanadi floods, resulted in construction of Hirakud dam which is now a boon to that region.

Today tremendous technical advancements are witnessed, compared to the era of Sir. M. V. But what is, by and large, missing is 'Sense of discipline in constructions', 'Sense of sincerity' and 'Sense of Quality consciousness'. To set things in order in the present day Engineering world, may be Sir. M. Visvesvaraya has to take a rebirth.

Dr C S Viswanatha

Chairman

Civil-Aid Technoclinic Pvt Ltd

(A Bureau Veritas Group Company)