M. VISVESVARAYA

About:

• Visvesvaraya (1861 – 1962) was an Indian engineer, scholar, statesman.
  
  
• He was the chief engineer responsible for the construction of the Krishna Raja Sagara dam in Mandya district. He was also the chief designer of the flood protection system for the city of Hyderabad.
  
  
• He also served as the Diwan of Mysore from 1912 to 1918. It was during his period as Dewan that the Mysore Soap Factory (which makes the iconic Mysore sandal soap), the Bangalore Agricultural University, the Bank of Mysore and the Bangalore Press were set up.
  
  
• He penned his autobiography, Memoirs of my Working Life, in 1951.
  
  
• “Industrialise or Perish” was Visvesvaraya’s mantra.
  
  

Honours:

• In 1915, He was knighted as a Knight Commander of the British Indian Empire (KCIE) by King George V for his contributions to the public good.
  
  
• He received Bharat Ratna, in 1955.
  
  
• He is held in high regard as a pre-eminent engineer of India. 15 September is celebrated as Engineer's Day in India in his memory.