Sir Visvesvaraya & Engineering Legacy for Sustainability

Every year on September 15, India observes National Engineers' Day, a tribute to the country's engineers and their contributions to national development.

- EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ New Delhi

The date marks the birth anniversary of Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya, one of India's most celebrated engineers and a visionary whose work laid the foundation for modern engineering practices in the country.

As India grapples with 21st-century challenges such as climate change, rapid urbanization, and digital transformation, Engineers' Day serves as both a moment of reflection and a call to action.

Born in 1861 in the village of Muddenahalli, Karnataka, Sir M. Visvesvaraya rose from modest beginnings to become a symbol of technical brilliance and national service. Despite losing his father at a young age and facing financial hardships, he excelled academically. After completing his early education in Chikkaballapur and Bengaluru, he earned a Bachelor of Arts from Central College, Bengaluru, and later pursued civil engineering at the College of Engineering, Pune.

His early career in the Public Works Department of the Bombay Presidency quickly highlighted his engineering prowess. However, it was his groundbreaking innovations in irrigation and flood management that cemented his reputation as a pioneer. One of his most notable achievements was the design and implementation of automatic sluice gates at the Khadakwasla reservoir near Pune—an innovation that would go on to be replicated at multiple dams across India.