Engineers Day 2018: India honours M Visvesvaraya, 'Dam Builder' and Bharat Ratna

New Delhi : It's Engineers' Day on Saturday (September 15)! India is celebrating the day by paying tribute to engineering legend Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya on his 157th birthday. Also, Google has dedicated a 'Doodle' to pay homage to the Bharat Ratna.

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu spoke about the civil engineer and said that history lessons should focus on "historical figures and social reformers" like Visvesvaraya, and not British rulers who "looted" the nation and "our mind".

Sir Mokshagundam Vishweshvaraya was an Indian engineer, scholar, statesman who received the Bharat Ratna, in 1955. He is regarded as the chief engineer responsible for the construction of the Krishna Raja Sagara dam in the North-West suburb of Mysuru city. The dams we see today across India is due to the prolific engineer, M Visvesvaraya, who is known world over for his contribution to harnessing water resources. He is also credited with inventing the Block System, automated doors that close in the conditions of overflow.

Vishweshvaraya is also known as India's 'dam builder'and is counted among the last century's nation-builders.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also remembered M Visvesvaraya in his recent 'Mann ki Baat', saying, "lakhs of farmers and common people continue to benefit from the Krishna Raja Sagara Dam built by him". Railway Minister Piyush Goyal and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, also, took Twitter to pay tribute to the legend on his birth anniversary.