Engineer’s Day 2022: Who was Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya? History, significance and PM Modi's message

September 15 is celebrated as Engineer's Day to mark the birth anniversary of engineer statesman Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya, who is credited with pioneering engineering works. Besides India, Visvesvaraya’s engineering feats are also celebrated in Sri Lanka and Tanzania.

Who was Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya?
Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya was a popular civil engineer, who was awarded the Bharat Ratna in 1955 for his remarkable contribution to the country's development. He was the chief engineer in the project of the Krishna Raja Sagar Dam, which was built on the Kaveri River in Mysore. Krishna Raja Sagar Dam held the distinction of being the largest reservoir in Asia for a long time.


Popularly known as Sir MV, Visvesvaraya was also credited for helming the hugely challenging flood protection system in Hyderabad, which later went on to become a benchmark for various such projects in the country. He successfully created the system and also played a crucial role in developing another impressive system, which could protect the Visakhapatnam port from sea erosion.

Visvesvaraya was born on September 15, 1861, in the Muddenahalli village of Karnataka. He completed his school education in his hometown and later on took admission in Bachelor of Arts (BA) undergraduate course at the University of Madras. Visvesvaraya's fate took a major turn when he switched to a different career path and decided to pursue a diploma in civil engineering at the College of Science in Pune. After completing the course, he undertook various challenging projects and surprised many by producing remarkable results.

How to celebrate Engineer’s Day 2022
People celebrate Engineer's Day by sending photos, greetings and WhatsApp messages to their friends and family members.

Here are some popular quotes by notable personalities on engineering:

Software is a great combination between artistry and engineering - Bill Gates

To make an embarrassing admission, I like video games. That's what got me into software engineering when I was a kid. I wanted to make money so I could buy a better computer to play better video games - nothing like saving the world - Elon Musk

At its heart, engineering is about using science to find creative, practical solutions. It is a noble profession - Queen Elizabeth II

With genetic engineering, we will be able to increase the complexity of our DNA, and improve the human race. But it will be a slow process, because one will have to wait about 18 years to see the effect of changes to the genetic code - Stephen HawkingA country without engineering skill and knowledge will never become a developed country - Mahathir Mohamad

I wanted to pursue chemical engineering because I thought it was the future - Mukesh Ambani

PM Modi's message:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also greeted people on Engineer's Day and said India is blessed to have a skilled and talented pool of engineers contributing to nation building.

The PM tweeted, "Greetings to all engineers on Engineers Day. Our nation is blessed to have a skilled and talented pool of engineers who are contributing to nation building. Our Government is working to enhance infrastructure for studying engineering including building more engineering colleges."



"On Engineers Day, we remember the pathbreaking contribution of Sir M. Visvesvaraya. May he keep inspiring generations of future engineers to distinguish themselves," he added.



He also posted a snippet from one of his Mann Ki Baat broadcasts where he talked about the subject.