Structure                                                                             

It’s a direct question

Give a brief introduction of Sir M.Visveshwaraiah and his contributions.

Use the following headings:

1. Engineering contribution
2. Political contribution
3. Economic contributions
4. Ethical contribution

Supporting Points:

• Every year on 15 September, India celebrates Engineers’ Day to mark the birth anniversary of engineer, scholar and statesman M. Visvesvaraya.
• Born in Muddenahalli village in Karnataka in 1861, Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya was an ordinary man with extraordinary talents.

Engineering contribution:

• He started his career as an engineer with PWD in Bombay before moving to Indian Irrigation Commission. He was also the chief engineer of the Krishna Raja Sagara dam project on the Kaveri river in Mysore. At the time, this was one of the largest reservoirs in Asia.

Political contribution/Economic contribution:

• Serving as the ‘diwan’ (chief minister) of the Mysore state from 1912 to 1918, he later transformed the region. He set up Mysore University and the Bank of Mysore.
• During his tenure, the outlook of the Mysore had changed and many industries and public sectors came up providing good opportunities to people.
• He was even involved in the founding of the first Engineering College – Government Engineering College, Bangalore 1917 (currently University Visvesvaraya College of Engineering).
• Visvesvaraya was also the brains behind automatic weir water floodgates, which were designed and patented by him. First installed at the Khadakwasla reservoir in Pune in 1903, the success of this project inspired similar installation at the Tigra dam in Gwalior and Krishna Raja Sagara dam in Mysore.
• He was also the man behind the invention of block system in dams, in which automated doors close during conditions of overflow. Besides, he was instrumental in designing the flood protection system in Hyderabad.

Conclusion:

• For his contributions to the society, he was awarded the highest civilian honour ‘Bharat Ratna’ by the central government in 1955. In addition, he was awarded the British Knighthood by King George V in 1915.
• A civil engineer, economist, statesman, scholar, Visvesvaraya was a board member of the Tata Iron and Steel Company, currently known as Tata Steel.
• He is also the author of several books, including Nation Building and Reconstructing India, which covered issues pertaining to economy, social planning and governance of the day.

Sir MV – A visionary who spearheaded development

To name few of the many things he was responsible for:

1. The architect of the Krishnarajasagara dam – or KRS or Brindavan gardens. One of the biggest dams in India which irrigate a hundred and twenty thousand acres of land. This was built at a cost of Rs 2.5 crore. It changed a barren Mandya district into rice granary, provides drinking water to Mysore and Bangalore.
2. Bhadravati Iron and Steel Works – as its Chairman he rescued it from becoming extinct.
3. Mysore Sandal Oil Factory and the Mysore soap factory
4. Mysore University – Sir M.V.’s question was “If Australia and Canada could have universities of their own for less than a million population, cannot Mysore with a population of not less that 60 lakhs have a University of its own?”
5. State Bank of Mysore (it was first named as ‘The Bank of Mysore’)

     6. Public libraries in Mysore and Bangalore

7. Encouraging girls to attend school.
8. Mysore Chambers of Commerce
9. Kannada Sahitya Parishad or the Kannada Literary Academy
10. Sri Jayachamarajendra Occupational Institute, Bangalore – funded by the ENTIRE money [Rs 200,000] he earned from rescuing Bhadravati Iron Works.
11. In 1912 he set up Hebbal Agricultural School, now University of Agricultural Sciences.
12. In 1903 he designed automatic, weir water floodgates, installed at Khadakvasla reservoir.
13. He implemented irrigation system in Karnataka.
14. Sri Jayachamarajendra Polytechnic Institute.
15. The Bangalore Agricultural University (University of Agricultural Sciences).
16. The Century Club
17. Visvesvaraya College of Engineering, Bengaluru