Why is Engineer’s Day Celebrated?

Imagine a world without telephones, roads, or buildings. Our daily lives would come to a halt and basic things would become extremely difficult. That’s the world without engineers! It is essential that we dedicate a day to appreciate their unceasing contributions. Every year India celebrates Engineer’s Day on 15th September to commemorate the birth anniversary of Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya. Indian Engineering colleges organize events to celebrate this day by felicitating students on their remarkable achievements. Read this blog and find out why Engineer’s Day is celebrated and how we can contribute to this day. 

Why is Engineer’s Day Celebrated?

This day is celebrated to mark the birth anniversary of Sri M. Visvesvarayato honour enormous contributions and innovations in the field of engineering. He was born on 15th September 1861, in a tiny village named Muddenahalli in Karnataka. He was the recipient of the Indian honour Bharat Ratna. After four decades of service as an engineer and contributing to different sectors such as Automobile, Construction, Architecture, etc. He founded the prestigious Government Engineering College, currently known as University Visvesvaraya College of Engineering, in 1917. 

Who was Sir M. Visvesvaraya?

After knowing that VM Sir’s birth anniversary is celebrated as Engineer’s Day in the country, let’s throw some light onto his past life and education to know about him a little more. Visvesvaraya was known to be a bright student from a very young age. He completed his graduation with a  BA from the University of Madras. He pursued Civil Engineering at the College of Science in Pune, Maharashtra.

He was appointed as the Assistant Engineer in Bombay in 1885. He also gave services to the municipality of Sind in 1894 where he designed waterworks for the municipality. He took the position of Executive Engineer in Surat in 1896. From 1897 to 1899, he was the Assistant Superintendent Engineer and visited China and Japan. He designed and constructed automatic gates and introduced block systems for irrigation. 

He was also the Consulting Engineer to the Hyderabad Nizam estate and carried on engineering works on the Musi river during the Hyderabad floods of 1909. He was a member of the Board Of Directors of Tata Steel from 1947 to 1955.

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Visvesvaraya Sir’s Contributions in the Field of Engineering

Mentioned below are some of the greatest contributions made by Sir Visvesvaraya in the field of engineering in India:

• In 1903, Sir M. Visvesvaraya designed and patented automatic water flood gates installed at Khadakwasla reservoir in Pune. 

• He took voluntary retirement in 1908 and took a foreign tour to understand the industrialisation that was taking place in different nations. 

• He was appointed as the Chief Engineer of Mysore in 1909 and later on as the Diwan. He was appointed as the Diwan of Mysore for four years, from 1912 to 1918. 

• He was the Chief Engineer and constructed the famous Krishna Raja Sagara Dam in Mysore. 

• He also brought great transformations and revolutions in the field of education, agriculture, irrigation, industrialization, and commerce. 

• For those who don’t know, he was instrumental and a prominent figure in developing the Government Engineering College in Bangalore in 1917. It was one of the first engineering institutes in India back in the day. 

• He also commissioned several railway lines in Mysore, India.

Visvesvaraya Honours

After knowing about why Engineer’s Day is celebrated in India, let’s now explore some of the famous and renowned honours and achievements of Sir Visvesvaraya:

• He was appointed a companion of the order of the Indian Empire in 1911. 
• He was awarded the title of Knight in 1915 for his commendable contribution in different fields. 
• He was a great Economic Planner of India and established the Government Engineering College in Bangalore in 1917. It has been renamed as University Visvesvaraya College of Engineering to honour him. 
• King George V of Great Britain gave him the title of Sir in the year 1915. 
• In 1923, he became the President of the Indian Science Congress and a popular personality in Karnataka. 
• In the year 1955, the government of India presented him the highest civilian award, i.e. the Bharat Ratna. 

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How to Celebrate Engineer’s Day?

If you belong to this field of study, then celebrating Engineer’s Day is not a tough battle for you. Engineers are the core of any industry or nation. They significantly contribute to a better and sustainable society. Given below are some ways that can help you understand the significance of this day better: 

Showing Gratitude to Engineers

Life without engineers would surely be a mess! Hence, it is essential that they are appreciated for their work. People can publicly thank the engineers within college clubs, societies, offices and families, for their hard work through emails or posting on social media platforms to boost their morale.

Organising Events to Honour Engineers

Students who are in college or society associations or offices can organise events for Engineer’s Day where engineers among the community can be honoured with different awards or rewards for their quality performance and brainstorming ideas. The college and institutes can recognise the efforts of meritorious students as well on this day. 

Education and Awareness

On Engineer’s Day, we can take the initiative of informing the common people about how engineers put their efforts into building or developing a nation. We can also perform or conduct activities in general that can encourage more female students to take up STEM courses.

Gifts and Perks

Little tokens of appreciation like quirky mugs, bouquets, or any other personal usage items can be gifted to celebrate Engineer’s Day with the great engineers of our nation.

Conducting Seminars/Conferences/Competitions

On Engineer’s Day, special conferences/seminars/competitions can be conducted to highlight the importance of engineers in society. Exciting competitions regarding engineer-based problems and finding their solutions can also be conducted.

So this Engineer’s Day, let’s pay a small tribute and thank all the engineers of our nation and their commendable contribution in various industries and branches of engineering. Want to study engineering abroad? Then, connect with our experts at Leverage Edu and they will help you with selecting the best university and the right course for you. Sign up for a free session today! Call us immediately at 1800 57 2000 for a free 30-minute counselling session.