SIR M. Visvesvaraya Biography

Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya

Bharat Ratna Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya, KCIE , (Kannada: ಶ್ರೀ ಮೋಕ್ಷಗುಂಡಂ ವಿಶ್ವೇಶ್ವರಯ್ಯ), other spellings include Visvesvaraya, Visweswaraiah, Vishweshwaraiah, however, "Visvesvaraya" also known as Sir MV; 15 September 1860 – 14 April 1962) was a notable Indian engineer, scholar, statesman and the Diwan of Mysore during 1912 to 1919. He was a recipient of the Indian Republic's highest honour, the Bharat Ratna, in 1955. He was knighted as a Commander of the Indian Empire by King George V for his myriad contributions to the public good. Every year, 15 September is celebrated as Engineer's Day in India in his memory. He is held in high regard as the first and pre-eminent engineer of India. He was the chief designer of the flood protection system for the city of Hyderabad.

Sir Mokshagundam VisvesvarayaKCIE
Diwan of the Mysore kingdom
In office 1912–1919
Monarch	Krishna Raja Wadiyar IV
Preceded by	T. Ananda Rao
Succeeded by	M. Kantaraj Urs
Personal details
Born	September 15, 1860 Muddenahalli, Chikballapur,Kingdom of Mysore (nowKarnataka)
Died	April 14, 1962 (aged 101) Bangalore
Alma mater	Poona Civil Engineering College
Profession	Engineer
Religion	Hindu

Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya was an eminent engineer and statesman and played a key role in building of modern India.

Sir M. Visvesvaraya was born on September 15, 1860 in Muddenahalli village in the Kolar district of the erstwhile princely state of Mysore (present day Karnataka). His father Srinivasa Sastry was a Sanskrit scholar and Ayurvedic practitioner. His mother Venkachamma was a religious lady. He lost his father when he was only 15 years old.

Visvesvaraya completed his early education in Chikkaballapur and then went to Bangalore for higher education. He cleared his B.A. Examination in 1881. He got some assistance from the Government of Mysore and joined the Science College in Poona to study Engineering. In 1883 he ranked first in the L.C.E. and the F.C.E. Examinations (equivalent to B.E. Examination of today).

When Sir M. Visvesvaraya cleared his engineering, Government of Bombay offered him a job and appointed him Assistant Engineer at Nasik. As an engineer, he achieved some marvelous feats. He planned a way of supplying water from the river Sindhu to a town called Sukkur. He devised a new irrigation system called the Block System. He devised steel doors to stop the wasteful flow of water in dams. He was the architect of the Krishnaraja Sagara dam in Mysore. The list is endless.

Sir M. Visvesvaraya lead a very simple life. He was a strict vegetarian and a teetotaler. He was known for his honesty and integrity. In 1912, Maharaja of Mysore appointed Visvesvaraya as his Dewan. Before accepting the position of Dewan of Mysore, he invited all his relatives for dinner. He told them very clearly that he would accept the prestigious office on the condition that none of them would approach him for favours. As Dewan of Mysore, he worked tirelessly for educational and industrial development of the state. When he was the Dewan many new industries came up. The Sandal Oil Factory, the Soap Factory, the Metals Factory, the Chrome Tanning Factory , were some of them. Of the many factories he started the most important is the Bhadravati Iron and Steel Works.

Sir M. Visvesvaraya voluntarily retired as Dewan of Mysore in 1918. He worked actively even after his retirement. Sir M. Visvesvaraya was honored with Bharat Ratna in 1955 for his invaluable contribution to the nation. When he reached the age of 100, the Government of India brought out a stamp in his honor. Sir Visvesvaraya passed away on April 14, 1962 at the age of 101.

Early years

Visvesvaraya was born to Srinivasa Sastry and Venkatalakshamma, in Muddenahalli village, 40 miles from Bangalore, India. His family was a Smartha Brahmin family of the Vaidiki Mulukanadusub-caste. In fact his ancestors actually belonged to Mokshagundam village, near Giddalur in the Prakasam district of present-day Andhra Pradesh, and had migrated to Mysore some three centuries ago. His father was a Sanskrit scholar and an authority on Hindu Dharmashastras (theology), besides being an Ayurvedic practitioner. Visvesvaraya lost his father at the age of 15. The family was in Kurnool when this happened, and moved back to Muddenahalli there after. Sir M.V. attended primary school in Chikballapur and high school in Bangalore. He earned his B.A. from Madras University in 1881 and later studied civil engineering at the Government Science College, Pune which is presently known as College of Engineering, Pune.

Career as Engineer

Upon graduating as an engineer, Visvesvaraya took up a job with the Public Works Department (PWD) of Bombay (now known as Mumbai) and was later invited to join the Indian Irrigation Commission. He implemented an extremely intricate system of irrigation in the Deccan area. He also designed and patented a system of automatic weir water floodgates that were first installed in 1903 at the Khadakvasla Reservoir near Pune. These gates were employed to raise the flood supply level of storage in the reservoir to the highest level likely to be attained by a flood without causing any damage to the dam. Based on the success of these gates, the same system was installed at the Tigra Dam inGwalior and the Krishnaraja Sagara (KRS) Dam in Mandya/ Mysore,Karnataka. In 1906-07, Government of India sent him to Eden,(Africa) to study water supply and drainage system and the project prepared by him was implemented in Eden successfully.

Visvesvaraya achieved celebrity status when he designed a flood protection system for the city of Hyderabad. He was instrumental in developing a system to protect Visakhapatnam port from sea erosion.

Visvesvaraya supervised the construction of the KRS Dam across the Cauvery River from concept to inauguration. This dam created the biggest reservoir in Asia when it was built. He was rightly called the "Father of modern Mysore state" (now Karnataka): During his period of service with the Government of Mysore state, he was responsible for the founding of, (under the Patronage of Mysore Government), the Mysore Soap Factory, the Parasitoide Laboratory, the Mysore Iron & Steel Works (now known as Visvesvaraya Iron and Steel Limited) inBhadravathi, the Sri Jayachamarajendra Polytechnic Institute, the Bangalore Agricultural University, the State Bank of Mysore, The Century Club, Mysore Chambers of Commerce and numerous other industrial ventures. He encouraged private investment in industry during his tenure as Diwan of Mysore. He was instrumental in charting out the plan for road construction between Tirumala and Tirupati. He was known for sincerity, time management and dedication to a cause.

Diwan of Mysore

After opting for voluntary retirement in 1908, he took a foreign tour to study industrialised nations and after, for a short period he worked for the Nizam of Hyderabad. He suggested flood relief measures for Hyderabad town, which was under constant threat of floods by Moosi river. Later, during November 1909, Visvesvaraya was appointed as Chief Engineer of Mysore State. Further, during the year, 1912, he was appointed as Diwan (First Minister) of the princely state of Mysore. He was Diwan for 7 years.

With the support of Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV, Maharaja of Mysore, Visvesvaraya made an arguably unprecedented contribution as Diwan to the all-round development of the state. Not only the achievements listed above, but many other industries and public works owe their inception or active nurturing to him. He was instrumental in the founding of the Government Engineering College at Bangalore in 1917, one of the first engineering institutes in India. This institution was later named the University Visvesvaraya College of Engineering after its founder. It remains one of the very most reputed institutes of engineering in Karnataka. He also commissioned several new railway lines in Mysore states. Visvesvaraya was Sir Mirza Ismail's mentor and in 1926 by way of recommendation to the King who supplemented Mirza Ismail by elevating him to the coveted position of the [[List of Diwans of Mysore

Awards and Honours

The Bharat Ratna medal

Visvesvaraya was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire (CIE) in 1911.^[5] In 1915, while he was the Diwan of Mysore, Visvesvaraya was knighted as a Knight Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire (KCIE) by the British for his myriad contributions to the public good. After India attained independence, Sir M. Visvesvaraya was given the nation's highest honour, the Bharat Ratna, in 1955.

The Knight Commander of The Indian Empire medal

Sir M.V. was honoured with honorary membership of the international Institution of Civil Engineers (based in London) and a fellowship of the Indian Institute of Science (based inBangalore). He was awarded several honorary doctoral degrees like D.Sc., LL.D., D.Litt.from eight universities in India. He was president of the 1923 Session of the Indian Science Congress. Sir M.V. was awarded honorary Membership of London Institution of Civil Engineers for an unbroken 50 years.

Every year September 15 is celebrated as World Engineers Day worldwide in honor of the great technocrat and visionary

The family temple at Muddenahalli

Sir M. V.'s mother, Venkatalakshamma discovered the stone sculpture near her house and figure of Hanuman was caraved on it and same is worshipped at Muddenahalli.

Memorial at Muddenahalli

The Samadhi of Sir M.V. at Muddenahalli

There is a beautiful and very picturesque memorial of Sir M. V. located on the family-owned land at Muddenahalli, with the Nandi Hills as a backdrop.

Developments in Muddenahalli

In honor of Sir Visvesvarayya, a number of educational institutions are being constructed in theMuddenahalli-Kanivenarayanapura region. Among these is the Sathya Sai Baba University and School of Medicine, the elite Indian Institute of Technology Muddenahalli, as well as the 600 crore Visvesvaraya Institute of Advanced Technology. These developments will make the historical town of Muddenahalli the premier education hub in northern Bangalore.

Institutions named in his honour

• Vishweshwarayya Polytechnic College Almala Tq Ausa Dist Latur Maharashtra State Tel-02383225600
• The Visvesvaraya Technological University, Belgaum, to which nearly all engineering colleges in Karnataka are now affiliated.
• The Visvesvaraya Institute of Advanced Technology located in Muddenahalli-Kanivenarayanapura.

• The upcoming Indian Institute of Technology Muddenahalli is being built in Sir M.V.'s birthplace.
• The University Visvesvaraya College of Engineering, Bangalore popularly known as UVCE, is an engineering college, affiliated to the Bangalore University, established in 1917 by Sir M. Visvesvaraya. The college was renamed University Visvesvaraya College of Engineering from its earlier name — University College of Engineering, Bangalore — in honour of its illustrious founder.
• Sri Venkateshwara College of Engineering, Bangalore, Vidyanagar, Near Air Force Station, affiliated to VTU .
• Vishweshwarayya Polytechnic College Almala Tq Ausa Dist Latur Tel-02383225600
• Sir M Visvesvaraya Institute Of Technology (popularly known as Sir M.V.I.T), Bangalore, is named after Sir M.V.
• Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (V.N.I.T.), Nagpur (formerly Visvesvaraya Regional College of Engineering) was established in the early 1960s in his honour. The college is among the elite 19 National Institutes of Technology (formerly Regional Engineering Colleges) in India.
• Sir M Visvesvaraya Co-operative Bank Ltd,Bangalore - This is the second biggest Co-operative bank of Karnataka with a turnover of more than Rs. 400 crores
• The Visvesvaraya Industrial & Technological Museum, Bangalore, set up as part of his birth centenary celebrations
• Visvesvaraya Iron & Steel Limited, a public sector undertaking, at Bhadravathi, the founding of which he was instrumental. He also supervised VISL and, under his supervsion, the loss-making factory started earning profit.
• His alma mater, the College of Engineering, Pune (COEP), has erected a statue in his memory and honour on their campus in central Pune, immediately outside the historic COEP administration building.
• Institute of Technology - Banaras Hindu University, and R.V. College of Engineering, Bangalore have hostels named after Sir M Visvesvaraya.
• State Bank of Mysore - Major bank in Karnataka
• Sir Visvesvaraya Memorial College of Engineering, Nashik, Maharashtra
• Karnataka Industrial Cooperative Bank Ltd
• NIT Rourkela named a hall of residence in his honour
• Visvesvarayya Group Of instituions in Ghaziabad

Works

• Visvesvaraya, M (1920), Reconstructing India, P. S. King & son, ltd, OCLC 2430680
• Visvesvaraya, M (1936), Planned economy for India, Bangalore: Bangalore Press, OCLC 19373044
• Visvesvaraya, M (1951), Memoirs of my working life, Bangalore, OCLC 6459729
• Visvesvaraya, M (1932), Unemployment in India; its causes and cure, Bangalore: The Bangalore Press, OCLC 14348788
• Visvesvaraya, M (1917), Speeches, Bangalore: Government Press, OCLC 6258388
• A Brief Memoir of my complete working life, Government Press, Bangalore, 1959

Some of the honours and laurels conferred on Sir M. Visvesvaraya

• 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
• 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 ' BHARATHA RATNA'
• 1958: 'Durga Prasad Khaitan Memorial Gold Medal' by the Royal Asiatic Society Council of Bengal
• 1959: Fellowship of the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore