M. Visvesvaraya: Engineer, Diwan, Bharat Ratna

Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya was a civil engineer and statesman. People call him Sir MV.

Where did he come from?

• He was born on 15 September 1861 in Muddenahalli village.
• The village lay in the princely state of Mysore, now Karnataka.
• His father died when he was in his mid-teens.
• An uncle got him into a high school in Bangalore.
• He tutored children to pay his way at Central College.
• He then became a civil engineer in the Bombay government’s service.

What is the memory hook?

Think “1861 born, Bombay engineer”. A poor start led to a public career.

He designed and patented automatic floodgates in 1903. They were first used at the Khadakwasla reservoir near Pune.

How did the gates work?

• They kept the reservoir at the highest safe level during floods.
• A float lifted the gates when the water rose too high.
• The gates opened and let the extra water out.
• The same system was later used at other dams.
• One of them was the Krishna Raja Sagara dam.

What else did he start in 1903?

• He introduced the block system of irrigation in 1903.
• The block system shared canal water between farmers.

What is the memory hook?

Think “gates 1903, Khadakwasla”. The gates made a dam safer without a gatekeeper.

He designed the dam and watched over its building. It stands on the Kaveri river in Mysore.

What did he do?

• He became Chief Engineer of Mysore State in November 1909.
• He planned the dam from the first idea to the opening.
• It made the biggest reservoir in Asia at that time.
• The builders used surki mortar in place of imported cement.
• Surki is a mix of lime and burnt-brick powder.
• The dam turned dry land into farmland.

Which river is it on?

The dam is on the Kaveri river, not the Krishna river. The name honours a ruler, not a river.

What is the memory hook?

Think “KRS on the Kaveri”. The first two letters of the name mislead.

He became Diwan in 1912. He served about six years, until 1918.

What did he found?

• He backed the Bank of Mysore and the State Bank of Mysore.
• He helped start the Mysore Soap Factory.
• He helped start the Mysore Iron and Steel Works at Bhadravathi.
• He founded the Mysore Chamber of Commerce.
• A bill to create the University of Mysore was tabled on 29 June 1916.

How long did he serve?

Most sources say 1912 to 1918. One source says 1919. This lesson uses 1918.

What is the memory hook?

Think “Chief Engineer 1909, Diwan 1912”. Each post was a step up.

The British honoured him in 1915. India gave him the Bharat Ratna in 1955.

What were the honours?

• He was made a Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire (CIE) in 1911.
• He was knighted as a Knight Commander (KCIE) in 1915.
• India awarded him the Bharat Ratna in 1955.
• He sat on the board of Tata Steel from 1927 to 1955.

Which books did he write?

• Reconstructing India came out in 1920.
• Planning Economy for India came out in 1934.
• The second was the first nationwide plan by an Indian.

What is the memory hook?

Think “CIE 1911, KCIE 1915, Bharat Ratna 1955”. Each honour is bigger than the last.

It is his birthday. India marks it every year to honour his work.

What should you know?

• The day is 15 September.
• India celebrates it in his memory.
• The government declared it after his death.
• He died in April 1962, aged 100.

What is the memory hook?

Think “15 September, birthday”. The date is the same as his birth date.

Four mix-ups come up again and again. Learn each pair.

What are the traps?

• River: The Krishna Raja Sagara dam is on the Kaveri, not the Krishna.
• Post or title? He became Chief Engineer in 1909 and Diwan in 1912.
• CIE or KCIE? CIE came in 1911. The knighthood (KCIE) came in 1915.
• Birth year: Most sources give 1861.

How has this been asked before?

The trap is the river name. The dam is on the Kaveri.

How do you remember them?

Think “Kaveri, 1909 then 1912, 1911 then 1915”. Match each fact to its year.