Science is About Knowing, Engineering is About Doing - Happy Engineers' Day!

Kundan Mishra
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15 Sep 23

Why is Engineers’ Day celebrated?

If one has to recall some of the most influential engineers from the history of contemporary India, Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya would undoubtedly be on the top of the list. September 15 is celebrated every year as Engineers’ Day to commemorate the birthday of Sir M. Visvesvaraya. 2022 marks the 49th anniversary of Engineers’ Day in India and this day holds major importance owing to the fact that India produces close to 20 Lac engineers each year.

Who was Sir M. Visvesvaraya?

Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya was born on September 15, 1861, in Muddenahalli village in Kolar district, Karnataka. He completed his Bachelor of Arts from Central College, Bangalore, followed by Civil Engineering from the prestigious College of Engineering, Pune. He stood first in the University Examinations and was automatically recruited by the Government of Bombay in the Public Works Department as an Assistant Engineer.

Over the years, Sir Visvesvaraya became an acclaimed engineer, achieving immense recognition for his work towards harnessing water resources. He successfully designed and constructed various bridges, river dams and revolutionized the irrigation system in the country by implementing irrigation and drinking water systems.

Sir M Visvesvaraya (1861-1962)

One of the main reasons behind his success and achievements was his zeal to dig deep into the root of any problem and come up with innovative and reusable solutions. His work was highly commendable and was appreciated by both his supervisors as well as the Government. He is also the reason behind the revolution that took place in Mysore, after the then Maharaja of Mysore, Sri Krishnaraja Wadiyar convinced Sir Visvesvaraya to lend his services in the development of the city.

The Government of India honored him with India's highest civilian award, Bharat Ratna, in recognition of his contributions and dedication towards the field of Engineering.

Engineering in the Modern Day

India is one of the largest producers of engineers in the world. Though it is still a developing country, India's development largely depends on the robust industrial infrastructure, of which Engineering is by far the largest contributor. The nature of engineering industries in India is largely divided into light, medium and heavy engineering and cottage or rural engineering. Also, being the largest foreign exchange earner in the country, the Engineering sector gets around 63% of share through foreign collaborations.

Engineering Colleges in India

India is not only one of the largest producers of engineers but also houses some of the most prestigious engineering institutions in the world. Going back in time, the first engineering institution to be set up in the country was College of Engineering, Guindy, Chennai, in the year 1794. Some of the other top institutions in the country are:

Engineering Exams in India

With a wide variety of engineering colleges all across the nation, it was important to streamline the admission process. There are a plethora of engineering entrance exams conducted at the national, state and university level, some of which are:

Engineering Careers in India

In the modern world today, engineering as a discipline is not limited to its fundamental branches. With technological advancements taking place quickly, these modern fundamentals have been further divided into modern concepts. With developments in the Telecommunication, Biotechnology and IT sectors, an ocean of job opportunities have come up in comparison to the traditional engineering jobs. Some of the career options after engineering include: