Engineer’s Day 2021: What is it all about?
In the tech-driven world of today, engineers are recognized as the makers of a society. In fact, they are the ones who help in the growth and development of industries. From your smartphones to your kitchen appliances, all are the brainchild of engineers. In order to recognise and pay tribute to their contribution to the society, September 15, the birth anniversary of renowned civil engineer Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya is celebrated as Engineer’s Day.
Origin and theme of Engineer’s Day
In the year 1968, the Indian government the Indian government announced the birth anniversary of the renowned civil engineer and Bharat Ratna Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya as the National Engineer’s Day.
In 2021, the National Engineer’s Day in India has a special and pertinent theme – ‘Engineering for a Healthy Planet.’ The theme is essentially based on the Engineering Report released by UNESCO this year. This milestone follows is an extension of last year’s theme ‘Engineers for a Self-Reliant India.’ The goal is to spread the news of the large-scale contributions of Indian engineers via social media platforms, other media handles and certain promotional campaigns all across the country.
Life and works of Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya
Bharat Ratna Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya, one of the greatest Indian civil engineers, was born on 15th September 1861 in a small village in Karnataka. After a life-long struggle, he was able to get into the College of Engineering, Pune and successfully secured an engineering degree. The journey of Visvesvaraya after this has been a fascinating one, which contributed significantly to disaster management.
In 1903, he secured a patent for his designing of an automatic barrier water floodgates, popularly known as Block System. This instrument was especially made to control the overflow of water that he had witnessed as a child in his native village. However, it was installed in a reservoir near Pune for its debut trial.
Again in 1908, Visvesvaraya stepped up to save Hyderabad from a massive and destructive flood. To prevent this from happening further, he designed storage reservoirs as well as sewage farms in the outskirts of the city, to not only secure the drainage system but also prevent water pollution of the Musi river.
In 1917, Sir Visvesvaraya founded the Government Engineering College in his state, now known as Visvesvaraya College of Engineering, Bengaluru.
In 1955, the Indian government decided to honour his constant contributions by rewarding him with the Bharat Ratna. He was also specially acclaimed to have received the Knighthood from the British government.